Through Me
by The Unread Shelfer
Summary: As the yacht jumped higher into the sky, Ron, as a sudden impulse possessed him, left the yacht in Harry's hand and leaned over the bridge railing. He waved jauntily to Lestrange. "YOU AND WHOSE ARMY, BITCHES." (19 year's, post war) Canon compliant. Year 98 complete.
1. Aftermath

_**Chapter 1**_

 ** _Aftermath_**

 ** _2-May-1998._**

"I always knew you were mental!" said Ron in a feeble attempt to make them smile after Harry had put the the Elder Wand back in Dumbledore's tomb. Hermione, meanwhile, was trying not to cry, and her face was marred with dust, but she couldn't bring up the energy to care for it.

"It's why we are friends, Ron," Harry said and went forward to hug his friend. Hermione joined them from the other side.

"I guess...as Harry said, we had enough trouble for a lifetime," she said quietly, her head resting on Ron's shoulder and his cheek on her head. They stood there in silence staring at the White Tomb which contained their old mentor. Their old headmaster.

"What's next?" asked Ron.

"Honestly...I don't know..." mumbled Harry. "But Hermione does, don't you?"Harry looked past Ron at Hermione. Ron turned towards her too. She smiled.

"Of course..." The Golden Trio went quiet again. Possibly wondering what they had to do now. There were many questions. Too many. One of them was: What now? So many had died, so many...

Voldemort was gone; Harry had defeated him. He could live a normal life... He scoffed, chuckling inwardly. His life would be anything but normal. He just didn't know what his goal was. Hermione was of course going to complete her education, no matter what. She would know what to do. She always did. The brightest witch of their age...The relief Harry felt while standing here was beyond him. He was thinking about Hermione and her face when he refused to continue his education. Education had seemed like a faraway thing not long ago and now he was thinking about it. It was relief. He was relieved that he could now think about things without wondering whether his death was being plotted.

Ron, like Harry, wouldn't know what to do. He had his goal settled on making the world a better place; never had he left Harry alone and had stuck with Harry no matter what, tangling himself in this Voldemort business even when he was afraid to say the name. Harry felt a sudden gratitude towards Ron; he was after all his best friend. Ron had taken half of the problems of an orphan who had too much resting on his shoulders, who knew nothing and was Voldemort's number one target. Never had Ron left him alone.

"I met them..." Harry blurted out without even thinking, his eyes still on the White Tomb. Ron turned around to look at him.

"Who?"

"Sirius, Remus, Mum...Dad." Harry felt his insides crumpling. A painful reminder that he hadn't earned anything for himself but only for the world. Once again the noble prat, as Ginny liked to call him, was guilted by the world to save everyone and lose everything. "I was ready to die...and the Resurrection Stone, I think... resurrected their... spirits… It was like when Tom came out from the diary..."

Ron looked directly at him for a second. Harry could see the question coming. Fred wasn't there. Harry didn't blink and Ron found his answer. Hermione looked between Ron and Harry. Both of them had a blank expression, heads bent down. Hermione moved a little to stand in front of them, one hand around Ron and another around Harry. They did the same and then they were standing in a circle, their heads pressed together.

"They were there until the end...Mum was looking at me so... so eagerly...she looked so happy..." Harry mumbled. No response came from the other two. Neither of them needed to nod or say anything; Harry just knew they were listening. They knew they didn't need to talk to communicate. Harry felt his eyes watering as he thought about his mother now, how eager had she looked, how much love had shone from those eyes. "Dad..." Harry gulped, "he said he was proud."

His insides churned at the thought of them. All of them, oh what would he give just to see them again. A part of him even wished that he had gone with them. "Sirius was happy though...I think he was happy to join Dad..."

Ron patted him lightly. "He was always a bit mental," Ron said in a hoarse whisper. An attempt to lighten the mood. Hermione smiled sadly as a tear leaked out from her eyes.

"Remus...he said he would be sorry that he wouldn't be able to know... Edward..." Harry finally let go. Tears leaked out one by one from his eyes. He had passed on his fate to someone. A orphan. He had made Edward a orphan, hadn't he? Edward would blame him. Harry just knew he would. Even if Edward didn't, Harry would still feel guilty. He remembered all the times he had the Weasleys around him. They were family but there was always something missing. Edward would feel that too and blame him. "Edward...he lost his father... because of..."

Hermione patted him lightly trying not to just break the brave facade she had put on herself in these past days. Her heart was already thundering in her ribcage. She wanted to flee to Australia now but it wasn't the right time. She was feeling selfish but she didn't care. She just wanted to embrace her parents and bawl. "We will tell Edward...he would be so, so proud...so proud..." said Hermione, her head bent low as tear after tear cascaded down her cheeks.

"I didn't want anyone... anyone to die for me..." Harry let out a harsh breath. "Ron, I never... I am sorry... Fred..."

Ron closed his eyes and shook his head as if trying to just bury it all inside him. The thought of Fred not being here. The thought of his mother bawling in the Great Hall. The thought of George wandering like a inferi. It felt like his brain would bleed, and his stomach felt like it was empty, like a pitless hole."He knew...He knew what he was fighting for..." said Ron. Harry didn't need him whining right now. He should be supportive and so Ron coughed and tried to get rid of the feeling which made him feel like he was drowning, like his throat was closing.

Silence claimed the scenario again as they stood there huddled together, heads bent low. Harsh breaths and tears mangled together. All of them, not ready to face the world. Not ready to face anything.

Wars, fought for better or worse, brought a lot of pain.

* * *

Neville looked around the hall. So many of them laid down their life for a better future and Neville was ready to make a difference. He just didn't know how. Should he fight? Help? Grieve? What should he do? Fight and not pay his respects or mourn, like he didn't care. Stop to mourn and give their murderers time to recover. What should he do? He couldn't let them die for nothing. Neville could still hear Peeves cackling outside the hall, taking revenge from Voldemort's body with anything he could find.

I would like to throw in a kick too, Neville thought.

The sword of Gryffindor lay behind Neville as he looked around at the bodies of the Fallen Fifty. Colin...his favorite pupil. Once the student who had roamed around chanting nothing but Harry, he had grown up to be a cherished warrior. Neville still could remember when Colin had blasted off five DA members in one attempt. He died a death of a warrior.

His eyes then fell on Remus...his old professor, of whom once Neville had been so scared. He smiled at his own stupidity. A man so gentle, Neville couldn't even imagine him as a monster. He died fighting for people who hadn't spared him a second glance and Neville felt a sudden rage towards the Ministry, towards Greyback, towards everyone who had hurt a man like him. He could have just left but he fought for people who hated him. Who thought of him as a monster. Neville wiped his tears with the back of his hand. His left hand tightened around his thigh.

Behind Remus was Tonks; she was truly the fierce one. Neville recalled some encounters he had with her. Professor Lupin would never have taken someone that close to him out of fear of hurting them, but Tonks was fierce. No wonder, she managed to get even Professor Lupin settled. For a minute Neville wondered if he could just trade his life for them. They were the ones who deserved to live more than anyone. They served without worrying about the outcome. They didn't need to fight. Neville had his reasons. None in the hall had deserved to die.

He looked past Tonks and Lupin to where George was kneeling by his brother's body, pale as parchment, with Lee, Angelina and Wood all clustered behind him. Angelina was crying softly while others were urging him to let it all out but George was doing nothing except staring blankly at Fred. Never in his life had Neville seen them apart. The sight was too much to bear. He turned his head in another direction, towards Ernie.

Ernie, who gave his life for his wife Susan and her child. His lieutenant. His best friend. He had promised to be the best man at his wedding. Neville could remember how nervous he was when the DA had hosted his wedding. Susan had flown with Neville's grandmother; she ought to be here. Neville took a hold of the table behind him. It was just too much to bear. A child abandoned. Orphaned. His throat closed.

Parvati, the exotic beauty of Hogwarts, died the most ugliest death. Her half body was liquid already, and she was slowly melting in a dark puddle of water. Her face was marred with so many scars... Neville recalled the time when she and Lavender were whining about nothing but nail polish. In a span of six months she had turned into a woman none of them could have dreamed that Parvati Patil could be.

Behind her was her twin, Padma. Whose body had been turned inside out... Their parents cried softly behind them. Neville felt numb. None of them deserved to die and then he felt guilty. As the leader, he should have died with them. Dean Thomas, Sally-Anne and so many...so, so many of them. Neville stopped breathing for a second.

There was Lavender, drained totally. White as salt, the most horrible death claimed her. Neville and Ron had slaughtered Greyback. But it was too late. They had lost so much because of Greyback, and Neville had the sudden thought that he had led the first Wizarding War. He was the one acquainted with Bellatrix and he was the one who had killed Lavender. It was enough for Neville to strike.

"They look peaceful, don't they?" asked someone softly. He turned around to find Hannah sitting behind him looking straight at her fellow friends.

"Very much," mumbled Neville.

"It looks...so empty. It doesn't feel like we have won..." she said. Neville didn't reply. They both just sat there, silently sharing the pain.

* * *

Ginny couldn't stop her tears. She had lost one brother but it felt like Fred had taken George with him. So many memories, So many thoughts. Had she fought in vain?

Her eyes drifted off to her family where her mother was crying softly on Percy's shoulder while her father was helping the other injured and calling someone to take Fred's body. She had never seen her father so drained. Ginny herself felt like she had been kissed by a Dementor. She tried to cover her sobs with her hands.

"I am going to make a lot of life," Luna said suddenly. Ginny looked up to find the dreamy blonde throwing a sandwich at Grawp from the big wall which had been blasted off in the battle. Ginny didn't even have the energy to say anything. She just nodded a little.

"I mean...we have lost so much..." The dreamy blonde mumbled to herself as she kept looking out. Ginny tried answering again but all that came out was a strangled sigh.

"I think everyone will focus on making lives. So you are not going to be the only girl with seven brothers now." Ginny let out a muffled sob. Seven... Luna silently took her in a embrace. She patted her slowly. "It's always going to be seven… Whether they're here or not, seven..."

And it went on until the end.

* * *

Draco couldn't feel his heart anymore. He wondered if he even had one. His mother was grasping his hand so tightly while his father still had the audacity to sneer at the people around him. Draco seriously wanted to punch his father, right there. Couldn't he see what had happened? Couldn't he see how many had been lost?

Draco couldn't comprehend it. If only he had been brave enough to fight it all...

Maybe the outcome wouldn't have been this... Maybe some of them had lived... Maybe some of them were worth more than him. He looked over at his mother. She look ready to burst into tears any minute. People passed them with dirty looks. Nobody asked them to move but nobody welcomed them either.

Draco seriously didn't know what he was going to do with himself.

* * *

"Call a team from St. Mungo's. Ask them to visit Hogwarts as soon as possible. And send a security team there too. I don't want one reporter to enter Hogwarts. Not one." Kingsley gave his instructions loud and clear to his secretary. "And tell the Aurors not to waste time celebrating, I want half of the department at Hogwarts to take notes of the deaths and report them. I want the other half to follow the Death Eaters who fled. Set Unspeakables on every Death Eater, every person involved. Imperiused or not. Go, go, go!" He ushered his secretary out of the room.

She closed the door with a panicked "Yes sir!" and rushed off. Kingsley walked down to the Ministry Atrium. His friends had died today and he was not going to let it all be in vain.

He apparited at the edge of the Forbidden Forest just behind Hagrid's hut. He felt the familiar tug at the base of his navel as he landed.

His breath caught in his throat as he took in the view of his old school.

It was so broken. There was blood on the grounds outside, everywhere. Their blood mingling with that of the enemy. The east tower had fallen completely, ripped to shreds. The west tower was half down, giving the view of the Gryffindor common room which was under the rocks. The front gates had been blasted off with the walls and the castle was hardly standing. Kingsley shook his head and moved forward, not wanting to dwell on what had gone.

Don't pity the dead, pity the living.

He went straight to the hall. He was welcomed by Voldemort's body which lay dead outside the gate of the hall. He kicked it out of sight and stumbled in. There was not one. Not one person celebrating Voldemort's defeat. Either they were crying over the lost or just plain fussing over the alive. Kingsley couldn't find Harry, or Ron and Hermione for that matter, but he could see Neville. Neville was sitting at a table with a blonde, whom Kingsley remembered as Hannah Abbott, the new owner of the Leaky Cauldron. Not that she would know that now.

Kingsley needed Harry to make an announcement at the Potterwatch.

"Attention!" Suddenly Professor McGonagall's voice boomed through the hall. "I request all of the House Elves to take care of themselves now, rather than us wizards." There was a loud uproar of protest from the house elves, but Professor McGonagall raised a hand. The elves quieted. "Wizards have hands and their wands, and they can take whatever they want themselves. Moreover, any students who would like to go home can do so… If anyone wants to complete their year, they will be welcomed back this September." With that, Professor McGonagall sat back on the bench with Madam Pomfrey just behind her, tending to Pomona Sprout's bleeding leg. Not one student or parent moved. The whole Great Hall was filled with parents crying over the deaths of their children. Soon the Great Hall was flooded by witches and wizards both from the Auror department and St. Mungo's.

By night time, the whole hall had gone silent. Most of the students had retreated to their houses, while some remained with the Hogwarts staff, Longbottoms, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, and the whole clan, Luna Lovegood, despite the fact that her father was at St. Mungo's clinging onto life, Oliver Wood and many other members of the DA.

Many charitable trusts made their way to Hogwarts to help the school build again. Draco and Narcissa Malfoy were left alone on the statement of Harry Potter, but Lucius Malfoy, after trying to bribe them with several offers of galleons, was dragged by the Aurors to the Ministry, possibly to the Wizengamot. Finally, the bodies of the Fallen Fifty were buried in the grounds not far from Hogwarts. All of them, all the war heroes together.

Harry with the other DA members, teachers and families visited all the graves. Every one of them was a martyr, even Severus Snape, Many parents were enraged that he was buried beside their children, until Harry explained what Severus Snape did and why he was one of the bravest men he ever knew. Edward Lupin was brought by Andromeda to visit his father and mother's grave.

Harry stood on the steps that lead to the teachers' table in the Great Hall. His friends and colleagues stared back at him. Not just Ron and Hermione, but all the staff of Hogwarts, every single member of the DA. Even Andromeda and baby Lupin were huddled together at the back.

The elves had been at work, cleaning up the dust and rubble, and the walls had been restored. The House tables had been returned to their proper places.

He stood at the end of the hall just on the stairs which led to the teachers' table.

"I am not really great at speeches," Harry started. The buzzing whispers quietened down as everyone turned their attention to him, except baby Edward, who was entranced by his grandmother's hair.

"But you all have done so much, and I..." He hesitated then looked at Hermione and Ron. "We think that you deserve to know some things. But I don't want any of it out of these doors. Out of this castle...can you...if you all could please," Harry asked, looking very guilty, "if you all could take an oath not to let anything you hear out of this room." His mouth set in a grim smile.

After a little murmuring, every single one of them took a oath. "Thank you, let's start with from when me, Ron and Hermione left The Burrow. It was my best friend's brother's wedding. It was attacked by Death Eaters. We three were on the run, and we were going to leave the next day anyway. We, Hermione was prepared for us. We were looking for some things, some things we knew that could destroy Voldemort." He passed a apologetic look to Slughorn who was still in his pyjamas and frowning.

"Voldemort had divided his soul in seven pieces." There was a loud gasp. The murmuring started again. "Anyone familiar with Dark Magic would know what a Horcrux is." Kingsley felt like the air had been punched out of him. While he was worrying and hiding, these kids were hunting Horcruxes and to think of it he was not the only one who thought that Harry Potter was running. Looking around the room, nearly everyone had the same reaction. Horcruxes were considered the foulest magic after Blood Bond rituals. People looked away in embarrassment and shame at having doubted this brave boy who lived.

"We were at Grimmauld Place, we didn't have a direction. We didn't know what Horcruxes were or where they were. We just knew we had to find them. On the day before Dumbledore's death, me and him were on a hunt for a Horcrux. Dumbledore had to endure hours of torture to get it, and when we reached it, we found that the Horcrux was already taken by a person named R.A.B and then we reached Hogwarts. The Battle of the Astronomy Tower took place and Draco Malfoy was sent to kill Dumbledore with two choices. Either he kills Dumbledore or he kills his family. His choice was clear, he wanted to kill Dumbledore and save his family." Harry looked around, his smile long gone. Hermione and Ron passed him encouraging smiles.

"He went there to kill him but he couldn't do it. Draco didn't want to but he didn't have a choice. Draco managed to disarm him but didn't kill him and I might even say that he wouldn't have... That's when Severus Snape entered the scene. He came and killed Dumbledore just like that," said Harry. "We all knew that. We all blamed Severus Snape but what we didn't know was Dumbledore's death was already planned between him and Severus Snape"

"But why would he kill himself? Wasn't he the master of the Elder Wand? Couldn't he just stop it all?" Seamus Finnegan raised a question that was on everyone's mind. Harry nodded and turned to the crowd one more time.

"Severus Snape was a spy for Dumbledore from the moment Voldemort killed my mother. For his own personal reasons. I won't reveal them. By the time Snape killed Dumbledore, he was already dying. Kingsley, remember that Polyjuice Potion suggested by Mundungus?" Kingsley nodded, uncertain what Harry getting at. "It was Snape, he had Mundungus confounded and he was the one to report the time of my departing to Voldemort, but to save me, he had suggested Polyjuice. He had to earn Voldemort's trust because he had to live till the end.

"We found that R.A.B was Regulus A. Black. The locket was lost but we found it later with Umbridge. Then after many attempts we still didn't know how to destroy it. Neville guessed right—we needed the sword of Gryffindor but not to kill Voldemort. Snape delivered the original sword to us, anonymously. With that our routine was to find the other Horcruxes and destroy them. Till the end, Severus Snape let Voldemort believe that he was the master of the Elder Wand since he had killed Dumbledore. Even when he was killed by Voldemort brutally. I disarmed Draco and the Elder Wand found its new master in me.

"And that's why, I was able to defeat Voldemort because the wand never worked on his order and a wand never kills its own master." This was a lot to take in. One could hear a clock ticking in the silence that filled the great hall. Suddenly Justin rose from his seat.

"You never told us how you survived the killing curse the second time?"

Harry flinched. "I..." He breathed. What was more horrible than Horcruxes? Ron reached the stage to support him while Hermione asked Justin to sit.

"This is something we want to keep to ourselves..." Ron raised his voice but there was a cry of outrage from Dennis Creevy.

"My brother died for this," he snarled " Why won't you tell us? If you could survive it...Maybe, maybe I could have saved my brother." He calmed down a little, his voice gaining a breaking edge but then he turned to them again, shrieking, "but you won't tell me!" Ron opened his mouth to retort but Hermione was fast.

"Enough!" she screamed. "If we had ways to bring the dead to life, don't you think Harry would have brought back his mother, father, or any of the other people he loved? What did you think, that he would just let Dumbledore, Fred, Remus and Tonks die?"

"Hermione," mumbled Harry but since he was under shouts, his mumble also was very loud. "I will tell them..."

"Are you mad? No, you don't need to-"

"I want to, Ron and Hermione..." He looked back at Hermione who nodded and went to stand on his left.

"The prophecy of mine and Voldemort said that, 'Neither can live while the other survives'. It meant that one of us had to die. On the Hallow's eve, seventeen years back when he came to kill me, my mother begged him to show me mercy but he didn't and asked her to step aside..." His voice broke.

"Mother didn't. He killed her but my mother's love gave me protection. The curse rebounded and that day Voldemort's soul was so weak after creating six Horcruxes that his soul tore itself away from him and launched itself in the only living thing it could find. Me. That's the reason I can talk to snakes, and I could look in his mind. There was a part of his soul that lived inside me. I was the Horcrux he never meant to make."

There was a sharp intake of breath but Harry continued. "His soul didn't have a body now, but he regained his body after taking my blood in the Triwizard Tournament. So for Voldemort to be killed it was necessary that he destroy the Horcrux that was in me, himself. Nagini was the last Horcrux that needed to be killed and Neville did it at the correct time."

Harry turned to Neville, who was white as a parchment, jaw hanging open. "I went to sacrifice myself because it was what should have happened. Severus Snape lived till the end to pass this information to me. When Voldemort fired Avada Kedavra on me, he didn't know I was a Horcrux. Dumbledore knew that there was like a one percent chance that I would survive and I was prepared to die...but then that one percent worked and Voldemort destroyed the Horcrux in me. He thought I was dead but I wasn't and the rest you know..." Harry completed.

"If Dumbledore knew all this, why didn't he tell you or us sooner? He could have saved lives. So many!" Hannah sobbed. There were many others who supported her.

"Well, how would that be?" Ron demanded, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Hey Harry, you have to find these Horcruxes and then get yourself killed by Voldemort. Or how about he would have gone to Voldemort and asked him to kill him. Voldemort would have just killed him. Right?" The crowd fell silent again.

"Whatever happened, happened for a reason. If we could, we would have spared lives. Snape had to be so cold because if he wasn't, he wouldn't have Voldemort's trust. Dumbledore didn't tell anyone because look what happened to him after touching one," Hermione completed. "Any more questions?" she asked sternly and nobody dared to raise a hand except Luna. Hermione sighed. "Yes, Luna?"

"Will you return for your last year?"

Hermione looked confused. "Yeah..."

"Good." Luna's smile gradually faded away and was soon replaced with a blank expression as she jumped down from the table she was sitting on. "I think it's all a lot to take in and we should go home," said Luna and turned and walked out of the hall. Her footsteps echoed in the hall. Nobody said anything for a moment. Until Neville coughed.

"Well... that went well."

* * *

 ** _Beta credits (turning it from a disaster to readable material)- 1- StopTalkingAtMe_**

 ** _Beta credits (flourishing the readable material because I didn't listen to my first beta :P)- 2- malaynamonkey2004_**


	2. Order of Merlin

_**Chapter 2**_

 _ **Order of Merlin.**_

 _"We apologize for our temporary absence for we had to Avada some arses. Yes, my friends, we are talking about the Battle of Hogwarts which commenced today. "_

"

 _"This is our first open broadcast."_

 _"Right you are and that, my friends, was Kingsley Shacklebolt or Royal who is also the new temporary Minister of Magic. Unfortunately, some of our partners couldn't make it up here today."_

 _"Though we wanted to inform the wizarding world that-"_

 _"You know who or...Yes, I am gonna say it, Voldemort is DEAD!"_

 _"Honestly, Ron."_

 _"What? Lee-"_

 _"Never mind, Voldemort is DEAD, the Death Eaters have fled. Be wise and if you see them outside your house, inform the Ministry—"_

 _"Or you can report at Weasley Wizard Wheezes if you are near it—"_

 _"Thank you for the information, Ronald, and then if some people still want the confirmation. Here we have- Lightning, also known as Harry Potter or The-Boy-Who-Lived to give you a confirmation on the events—"_

 _"Yes. Hello, Potter-Watcher's, This is Harry Potter giving confirmation that Voldemort has indeed lost. His soul has departed to Heaven ...Or Hell...Or wherever and he may not inflict his pain on anyone else. Thank you."_

 _"And that was officially the announcement, the war has ended. Our side has won. Harry Potter lives and with destroying Voldemort and relieving the wizarding world of the grand imbecile, he asks for peace and sleep. Now, our Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt would like to give you some pointers he thinks are very much needed but I would just tell you take the new bottle of Ogden's Rum and celebrate!"_

 _ _ _"Yes, thank you, Lee. First of all, I congratulate everyone on the victory who stayed and helped in the Battle and to everyone who has been supporting Potterwatch in these dark times and helping people.___

 _"The Muggleborns and Half bloods who were taken and arrested during the past year and this on the crimes such as- helping other people, opposing the extreme pure blood beliefs, on the basis of not having a pure blood line or not proving that they had one magical ancestor will all be released. It won't be right away, but please co- operate with us. We are trying to do everything as fast as we can._

 _ _ _"I, as the Minister of Magic, am putting everything in the ministry on temporary hold except the Auror department. Every Ministry worker will be checked. Running away won't do you any good.___

 _"If you have any complaints, or requests other than for your sister, brothers, friends to be released or your house to be rebuilt or demanding a explanation of where we were. Please do not send them. We are working on it and as for where we were, we—the order of the Phoenix— was working for this. The letters can be all addressed to,_

The Burrow, St. Ottery Catchpole, London, England, Great Britain.

Hogwarts, Scotland, Great Britain.

Weasley Wizard Wheezes, Diagon Alley, Great Britain.

The Hogs Head, Hogsmeade, Scotland.

 _Please be patient._

 _Furthermore, do not trust any Ministry employee or open your door to them unless the occupants pass you a written note with my very own handprint which will have a password for the party who is visiting your house. Send a Patronus/ owl/ floo immediately if the party does not know the password and yet enters. Use your brain in that situation. Keep your family safe, and don't be an idiot. Play by the rules until we get there._

 _The only people to be trusted for now or to whom you can address your letters to are..._

Arthur Weasley, Head of the Department of Improper Use of Magic.

Percy Weasley, assistant to the Minister.

Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress at Hogwarts.

Aberforth Dumbledore, Hogs Head.

 _Do not try to send a letter to Harry Potter. The owl won't reach him._

 _Bear with us. Please co- operate with us. Thank you."_

 _"And now we would like to address everyone who has been perished in this battle. We will forever miss them._

 _Colin Creevy…"_

* * *

 _ **8**_ - _ **May-1998.**_

"Harry James Potter. Order of Merlin, First Class."

Harry walked towards the stage where Kingsley Shacklebolt, now true Minister of Magic, was standing with a smile. It had been a week since his revelation and battle. Harry had spent most of his time at the Burrow with the Weasley's. Even at the Burrow, which always shone with happiness, the tension was thick. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley tried to keep a smile but Harry knew from experience that they were still lamenting their son's death. George was still blank; he hadn't said a thing and he hadn't cried. Harry had tried talking to him but all George did was nod.

Every time Harry left his room, he felt there was a hole somewhere in his heart. He couldn't stop blaming himself for Fred's death and for George's condition. Bill and Charlie came from time to time to talk to him but it never worked. Ron had gone with Hermione to her parents so they could tell her parents and lift the spell. Percy was always home though. He didn't spend much time out after or before work. He just stayed with Molly, helping her with her chores, or accompanied Arthur around the house. Sometimes he'd talk with George.. Ginny and Neville, sometimes Hannah were the only company Harry received.

Harry had to say that Luna was the only one of them who kept balance and a knack to make them all smile at times when they were still suffering from the nightmares of the past. Hogwarts was being rebuilt under Professor McGonagall's watch. Kingsley had given her full permissions to do it however she wanted and she could ask for permission later. The Ministry had their hands full because of the trials that were going on. Then the Death Eaters also had chosen to fly away. Well, most of them had and no one knew where. Harry particularly was feeling extremely lonely without Ron and Hermione. But today they had returned; everyone was here.

"Hermione Jean Granger," called Kingsley. "Order of Merlin, First Class."

Hermione walked towards the stage, dressed in a black blazer and pants. She made her way to Harry with a Order of Merlin in hand. After such a long time, Harry saw a genuine smile on her and Ron's face. Hermione was happy to meet her parents and Ron was happy to just see her happy. Their happiness was soothing to Harry; at least someone was happy.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, Order of Merlin, First Class."

Ron joined them on the stage. One by one they were called up. Name after name, until the stage was crowded with people. Except the DA and the order, everyone received a second or third class. These were the ones still alive. Then it was time for the dead ones. People tensed up; everyone had lost someone in the battle.

"Ernie MacMillan, Order of Merlin, First Class." A sobbing Susan took it while Hannah took baby Cecily from her. A marriage and a child in midst of battle wasn't something Harry had thought about. But Ernie had. He had lived life to his fullest when he could and died trying to make the world a better place. Now standing here looking at Susan, sobbing, clutching her child to her chest because she was the only and last of Ernie's things she still had. Harry wondered if Ernie knew the consequences.

"Lavender Brown, Order of Merlin, Second Class." Mr. and Mrs. Brown took the Order of Merlin. None of them looked happy. Seriously, what use were trophies when your loved ones are dead?

Soon it was Remus's turn. Harry for the first time noticed that Remus didn't have a family aside from them all and Edward. Harry made his personal goal to show Edward how great his father and mother were. "Remus Lupin, Order of Merlin, First-" Kingsley was saying and Harry was ready to walk and take it when a reporter sitting in the mass of reporters who were covering this event, raised a hand. "Wasn't he a werewolf?" Harry's blood boiled. _Werewolf. When will you people learn?  
_  
"Excuse me?" Kingsley said, agape that even after this, someone would ask that. Harry was ready to walk up to the microphone and say something, but Hannah beat him to it.

"Yes, he was," Hannah replied, glaring at the reporter.

"Yes, he ...we, yes, he fought in the war but he was still..."

Someone growled.

"When people like you were hiding, he was fighting for people like you," Percy yelled the last word with such vengeance that the reporter looked around for support. "He was so much of a better human than you." The reporter sat back down, annoyed mostly but in fear. Harry noticed the others looking around and he wondered, will the world be this easy to change?

Kingsley had a fond smile on his face. "Remus John Lupin, Order of Merlin, First Class. Awarded Special Services by Hogwarts, a honorary wizard, Member of Order of the Phoenix first and second," Kingsley completed and Harry went forward to take his award but not alone. He gestured for everyone to raise a hand for Professor Lupin.

"Nymphadora Lupin nee Tonks, Order of Merlin, First Class." Harry had to take this too. Andromeda was absent from the ceremony because she had to take care of Edward and he made a lot of noise. Harry had to meet him today.

"Severus Snape, Order of Merlin, First Class."No one had thought who would receive this. As far as they knew, Snape didn't have a family. Professor McGonagall stepped forward to take it.

"I believe he was a member of Hogwarts and as the last Deputy Headmistress in absence of his family. I would like to take it to Hogwarts," she explained and Kingsley happily gave her the award.

"Sirius Black, Order of Merlin. First Class." Harry nudged Ron to take it. Ron moved to take it with a smile.

When he came back, he said. "Now we just need your Father's award and then we could complete the Marauders collection," Harry smiled. He knew the old order of Merlin's were registered at the Ministry. He wondered if he could retrieve them.

"Dobby, the free house elf, Employee at Hogwarts. Order of Merlin, First Class." Kingsley announced and looked around for anyone to raise a hand or word. No one, not one did. Maybe they learned the lesson after asking about Professor Lupin. Harry nudged Hermione to take it, but she shook her head. Harry nudged her again. She hit him back. Ron pushed her forward and she staggered towards Kingsley and passed them an angry look over her shoulder but they both knew she was happy.

"Kreacher, House of Black, The house elf. Leader of the Elf army who fought in the battle. Order of Merlin, First Class." This was the most ironic award. The person who had abused them verbally so much and had been one of the reasons they won the battle. Harry called Kreacher, even Kingsley looked amused.

"Why was Kreacher called?" asked the elf menacingly staring at Harry as he appeared in front of him in a crack until he noticed he was in public and was being photographed too.

"Your award, Kreacher, your order of Merlin," Hermione told him happily but the only thing Kreacher did was to glower at her.

"Kreacher doesn't want it. Oh, what a disgrace it would be when his masters didn't received one and Kreacher did," the house elf wailed.

"Regulus and Sirius both received one, this is for you, Kreacher. Take it." Harry told him. " I would free you right here but you wouldn't appreciate it..."

Kreacher glared at him. "I order you to take it and go home. Keep it nice and clean..." ordered Harry and the elf took it and then vanished in a second. Harry wondered if it was because he was eager to show it or he didn't want the press to take pictures.

"Grawp, the Giant. Order of Merlin, Second Class," Hagrid took it happily. Grawp the giant, and house elves, who knew? Harry chuckled.

"Fred Weasley, Order of Merlin, First Class." Percy moved to take it. Harry felt Ron tense at his mention. If only...

The function continued with many other names but Harry had a hard time paying attention when Ron and Hermione were filling him in on their trip. Hermione was going to spend time with her family and then come back for a year at Hogwarts. Ron and Harry still weren't sure. Harry thought he would focus on building his father's house in Godric's Hollow back and cleaning Sirius' house. Then he would also pay attention in building Hogwarts. But today he had to take care of Teddy. But for all that, he would need a job. If only murdering Voldemort payed you…

* * *

Ron walked with Harry around the Ministry atrium. Hermione and Ginny were saying goodbyes to the rest of professors and friends. Everyone was meeting everyone. It was like a large Hogwarts graduation ceremony.

"I am going to visit Edward today, will you come...?" asked Harry.

"I still can't believe you are a godfather but definitely," Ron smirked and Harry reflected it back.

"Having fun without me, huh?" Hermione nudged them both. Ron laughed and draped an arm around her.

"We are going to visit Edward, you are coming, no?" he asked. Hermione grinned, her eyes only on him.

"Of course..." she whispered and Ron kissed her as if she said yes not to visit Edward but this. Someone made a gagging sound behind them.

"You know what, forget it. I liked you two bickering better," Hermione laughed as Harry made a face at them and went over to Neville.

"He is just trying to be normal.. " said Ron quietly, squeezing Hermione in a hug.

"He will get used to it," she replied nonchalantly and hugged him back. Ron nearly swept her off the ground."We need to talk about this, you know?"

"Know what?"

"Ron."

"Oh."

"Mhmm.. I mean yes I mean..." Ron let her go and she stumbled a little on the floor. Her face was red as she bit her lip looking anywhere but him. "I mean...I will understand if it was a rush of the moment for you..." she said uncertainly making hand gestures. Ron smirked.

"What was?"

"Oh, you know," Hermione's face turned red a little more.

"Know what?" Ron made a confused face.

"Ron!" Hermione let out a frustrated sigh.

"Mione." Ron matched her tone. She stepped on his foot. "Ow! Bloody freaking ow!" She huffed and turned around when Ron took her hand, spun her around and and he kissed her right there, pulling her hard towards him. One hand in her hair, the other on her waist wrapped tightly, while her hand was on his chest and another around his neck. Not caring if they were being clicked right now, not caring if their parents were there. Not really caring if the DA was exchanging money or betting on them but Ron would chase them eventually. They pulled off after a minute or two.

"Will you be with me?" Ron asked, breathless. Her eyes widened and she grinned even brighter than a lumos charm.

"Yes." And then they kissed again.

And groaned.

"Mr. Weasley! Mr. Weasley!" Ron groaned and pulled away from Hermione, but not before a thousand of clicks of him and her lip locking. In the middle of the Ministry _. Ain't I a romantic?_

He particularly didn't care about press. Never had, unless they published something about him, which they had done a lot. But Hermione's frown made him reconsider. She didn't want this?

"Ms. Granger, it's been a week since the battle and you have been a close friend to Mr. Potter. The viewers have long ago accepted you as his lady, the best friend turned lover. Yet now, here you are, kissing his best friend. Is there a reason for your break up? Is he too high in the air to see you? Is he not-"

Ron scowled but Hermione held a neutral smile. She simply waved them off. Ron knew what will come next, HARRY POTTER'S LONG TERM BEST FRIEND SLASH LOVER MAKING OUT WITH HIS BEST FRIEND! SPOILS OF WAR!. Or something equally crass. But if he had learn anything from his little stunt this year, it was that Hermione and Harry were never a thing. They could never be. They are too much alike for that to happen. Harry wanted the daredevil and Hermione wanted someone to share the secret smile with when she wanted to read for a whole day in library and lock everyone else out. Harry wouldn't make her coffee and she wouldn't pull his ear and drag him back when he went to do his noble shit.

"No comments." Hermione told them and took his hand almost shyly. _Almost_. The war had changed her too. She was no longer his sparkling, sweet nerd who went all shy on him during the most unpredictable moment.

Other times, she would go shoulder to shoulder and probably knock him off.

Yet here she was, unfazed by all this.

He had lost her old self at some time. She had lost that part of herself. He wished she hadn't. He wished she shouldn't have to. But he had lost himself a little too, hadn't he?

Ron smiled wryly at the thought.

They had won but lost anyway. He hoped no one else would have to.

* * *

Harry laughed as Ron pulled Hermione in a kiss again and turned around to find himself nose to nose with Ginny. Her eyes were puffed from crying, with several very fresh scars marred with her beautiful skin, but she still smiled.

"You look awful," way to go, Harry! He needed to learn to think before speaking. She crinkled her nose.

"Did you expect a witch clad in a bikini running on the beach laughing?" She smiled. "I am sorry, you were disappointed." Harry smiled at the familiar cheek.

"I missed you," he said quietly. Ginny looked down and her smile vanished.

"I did too." she said barely above a whisper.

"We will talk, I promise." Harry whispered.

"I know," she said looking straight into his eyes and then she hugged him. It caught him off guard. Harry just stayed limp for a second wondering if he should hug back. Then very slowly his hand reached her head and another her back and he stroked her hair absentmindedly.

Harry wondered if she would still be with him. After he had left her alone in the hands of Carrow's, in the battle. No man wished anything but comfort for his Lady but he had pushed her in a battle... gotten her brother killed...if only he had surrendered before.. A tear cascaded down his cheek without warning and he removed it with the back of his hand. Ginny maybe felt it as she looked up directly into his eyes.

It was like he was talking to Hermione and Ron. He didn't needed to communicate. His eyes said it all and hers seem to answer everything. Then she went on tip toes, gently pushed herself up by grabbing his shoulders and gave him a soft peck on his cheek. Her hand came to his cheek and his flew to her hand. Harry never felt his heart thumping so loudly. She hadn't even kissed him and his heart was pounding in his ear.

"I..."

"Later." she said quietly.

* * *

Neville looked at the order of Merlin in his hands and chuckled. Some achievement..

"Laughing at yourself, first sign of madness," Hannah pinched his arm playfully.

"Ow! Hey!" He winced.

She giggled."There is a nice cafe not far from here, wanna come?" Hannah smiled. Her usual long hair were in a ponytail and she was wearing a dress shirt, blue blazer and a pencil skirt. Neville shook his head then smiled.

"Sure," and Hannah grabbed his arm. Neville sighed and looked at her. She was smiling. He knew he was being rude but he couldn't stop staring. How had he not fallen for her before? More importantly, how had she fallen for him? She seemed to be equally delighted at the open attention she was getting and a little uncomfortable too as she started playing with her hair.

"It's still me ,you know," she chuckled. Obviously she had noticed him staring.

"I know," he said searching for words " but it's different...in a good way," she smiled at him but there was a strange edge of sadness in her smile.

"So many different things have happened this year, something had to happen in a good way."

"I know what you mean." Neville sighed, "sometimes I don't even know who I am anymore or i it's something I should be proud of or be scared of..."

"You should be proud of it." Hannah reckoned,"I have known you for about six and half years now. It's not that you are changed, it's just you are more of everything you already were. And you have been amazing with DA..."

He shrugged, "I have just taken it from where Harry left and asked myself what would Harry do and tried to do it."

"But you are better at it then Harry will ever be," someone said from behind him. Neville and Hannah stopped in their tracks and turned around to find Hermione with Ron standing behind them. "I have seen DA this year, Neville. Harry couldn't have taught them such impressive spell work."

"That's not mine, most of them came from Ravenclaws, and some from Ginny like Muffliato and Levicorpus and Ernie was the tactful one-"

"And Harry was good at Defense Against the Dark Arts," Luna said as she joined them. She was in a black dress which was decorated with a lot of shiny white round things and she looked like a walking black chandelier with her signature radish earrings. Her blonde hair was sprawled from her shoulder to waist. "But he only made sense of half of it. We had to work out half of it ourselves."

"What-" Neville's brows furrowed.

Hannah cut him off. "What she is saying is you make sense. You know how to explain. You can put the most difficult things into simple English. Make people get things and not make them nervous about messing up. You have a real gift for teaching, Neville." Hermione and Ron exchanged a knowing look.

"I would never want to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. I don't want to know how those people think." He shuddered, "It's like eating something rotten to make it go away."

"Then teach Herbology," Hermione suggested. "You have always been on top in that."

"And from some source, I hear McGonagall is looking for teachers," Ron grinned.

"Maybe..." Neville conceded though it was more to close the subject. "What are you all going to do now that it's nearly over...?"

"Babies" Hannah blurted out instantly. " I want wiggling, giggling, gurgling piles of babies. There has been so much death."

"Yeah, Gran says my mother wanted a big-" Neville stopped himself abruptly, "so what are we gonna do except have a bunch of kids?"

"Shit," Ron facepalmed then looked inside his coat pockets and took out a white envelope. "Every DA member received it. A invitation to join the Auror department. No NEWT's needed." Neville opened the envelope slowly."Did you receive one, Luna? Hannah?"

"I declined," Hannah told them. "The Leaky Cauldron has been in the family for ages and I don't want to sell it..."

"That's great, Hannah!." Hermione cheered.

"I am gonna complete my year," said Luna. "I don't think the Auror department is for me."

"Me too. Declined. I need to get in Care and Control of Magical creatures. " Hermione took a deep breath,"I am going to take SPEW to a new level."

"And Hell hath Mercy because it's Hermione on roll," Cho Chang joined them from behind Luna, Hermione laughed. Cho Chang had one hand in a plaster which was healing slowly, and was dressed in a black full sleeved top and a cream colored palazzo pants as she smiled at them. Order of Merlin in one hand and several envelopes in another.

"I was going. Not coming back for Hogwarts, thought I should say bye." she smiled, a grim edgy smile.

"Oh, Of course, Cho." Hermione went forward to hug her.

Ron gave a pat on her shoulder. "Sorry about the Tornados," he told her. She giggled.

"Better than the Canons," she said and hugged everyone else.

"Oh it's not like you aren't coming back," Luna said looking at the girl or the only Ravenclaw friend she had just found.

"I am not," said Cho, "not for some good four years or something. I need a break," she smiled sadly. "I will miss you all," she told them and she was answered with a lot of me too's and come back soon's and with that she left.

"I don't know if I will..." Neville said looking at the envelope,"you, Ron?"

Ron chuckled, "I could take half the Aurors down but no. Following commands has never been my thing."

"Harry is going though," Hermione pointed out.

"Noble git he is." Ron commented.

"Says the Gryffindor," Harry slapped Ron on the back of his head and joined them.

"You are also a Gryffindor," Ron scowled.

"I was put in Slytherin, I asked for Gryffindor." Harry replied defiantly. "So no one?" he asked looking around. None of them said anything, "I guess, I will have to bear with Smith," he scowled.

"Aw, you will be great," mocked Hannah. "After all you are the boy who lived. He would think twice before coming near you." Hermione covered her mouth to not laugh at his face but others just openly laughed at his expense.

"More like the boy who never dies," commented Ron playfully only to get pinched by Ginny who just came.

"So, we were going to a cafe. Wanna join?" Hannah asked politely.

Hermione waved her off, "Naa, we have to visit Edward today."

"Edward?" Neville asked, confused.

"Edward Lupin." Ron said, Neville's smile dropped.

"That baby Andromeda came with? He is Professor Lupin's son?" asked Luna. Harry nodded.

"No..." Neville said, almost a whisper. "What the hell.." Hannah took his hand in hers. A expression of fear mixed with disbelief and anger was on her face.

"He has a son?" Hannah asked and Hermione nodded.

"What was he thinking! " Neville suddenly felt very angry " I mean...he left his son alone to fight the battle...what was he...Tonks... how..." Neville would have shouted if Hannah hadn't been holding his hand. Neville knew the pain of not having a parent more than anything. He wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy.

"It wasn't in their blood to sit and watch, Neville. They were order members..." Ron patted his shoulder with a grim face.

"Remus wanted to make it a better place for Edward. He couldn't have just sat there..." Hermione told him, sincerely.

"You want to come , Neville?" asked Ginny. Neville still was agape so Hannah answered for him.

"He wants to. He is coming."

Ginny nodded, "Hannah?"

"Not my place , Ginny. You know that. " Hannah gave her a pointed look and Ginny understood the message. Hannah wouldn't mind Edward of course, she would love him...but it was just not her place to visit him right now.

"Luna?"

"I am coming," Luna nodded, her voice delicate as blossoms. Ginny walked to her to take her hand in hers.

"C'mon let's move, I don't reckon I can take another reporter asking me how many killing curses I survived." Harry scowled.

* * *

"That's his house.."

"Yes, now go!"

"What if he hates me?"

"He is only a week old."

"But what if-"

"Luna! What are you doing?"

Luna knocked three times on the door then turned around to face the scene. Harry was being manhandled by Ron and Neville while he was trying to run back, extremely nervous as Hermione was trying to coax him by talking. Ginny, meanwhile, was leaning behind the door, amused.

"Knocking on the door," Luna said oblivious.

"Oh no no no, Ron, he won't like me," Harry mumbled under his breath. "I don't know how to handle kids..."

"You will learn, Harry," Hermione sighed.

Suddenly Luna heard someone walking to the door and before Luna could say something she was blasted off with the door into Harry.

* * *

Beta credits- **StopTalkingAtMe,** ** _malaynamonkey2004._**


	3. Spoils Of War

_**Chapter 3**_

 ** _Spoils of War_**

 ** _8-May-1998._**

Luna didn't even knew what happened. One moment she was looking at her friends and their childish antics, and the next moment she was knocked out. She heard Neville fire a Reductor curse almost immediately and Hermione cast a shield charm. They then noticed that they were not alone. Augustus Rookwood had just been stunned, but there were still many left. There were chaos all around and Luna had a hard time focusing on who was there. They were shifting around the house and firing spells from behind the boundaries of the building. Luna and Harry stood up in a second, their wands drawn so swiftly that they would have made Mad-Eye proud.

Ginny fired a Bat-Bogey Hex at Mulciber, who deflected it easily. Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Ron fired hexes at a speed that matched that of an Auror, but Death Eaters were not at all like Snatchers. They protected themselves from the students' curses with ease. Augustus Rookwood was moving a little at the door which had been blasted off at Luna, awake now. Luna passed another charm, ducking beneath several hexes and jinxes. A wail of a crying baby made its way to Luna's ear. That would be Edward, she thought.

"I need cover," she said, almost a whisper in such chaos.

"A bit busy here, Luna!" Ron shouted. "Just fire! We need to Apparite!" His wand was in the air and his cheek was dripping blood.

"I can't! There is a ward! We can't Apparate!" Hermione told them. A Reductor curse blasted her leg, making her scream in agony. They were in a circle so no one could overpower them from the sides. Neville quickly rushed in front of Hermione.

"Focus on fire then!" Harry called.

"Hermione, try breaking the ward!" Neville ordered.

"Don't order her around, Neville!" Ron cried. "Don't you see her leg?" A killing curse blew right past his ear.

"If I don't, she might end up dead!"

"STOP FIGHTING! FOCUS ON FIRE!" Harry shouted at the other two as three killing curses were fired their way. They ducked just in time.

"Cover me!" Luna yelled. "I need to go in!" Luna fired a powerful Incendio at Nott, tearing a deep gash into his wand arm. He screamed in rage.

"Luna!" Harry shouted.

"Edward, Harry!" she cried, and Harry turned to her, his mouth hanging open. He nodded and turned back at a breakneck speed towards his target, Rodolphus, who seem to be enjoying this far more than imagined.

"Run in, Luna!" Ginny roared, firing hexes in the air at an alarming rate. Luna crawled into the Tonks household while Ginny covered the door. Luna swiftly moved inside, wand in hand, as she followed the cries of the baby. When she reached the room, it seemed like there was another battle going on. Andromeda was barely keeping the two other Death Eaters at bay. Her white silk dress was covered in blood, and her black hair was in utter chaos. Edward was crying just behind her in the crib, screaming at the top of his lungs. Luna started firing everything she had learnedfrom her years at Hogwarts, aided by both Harry and Neville.

Outside, the Aurors had arrived just in time for the Death Eaters to fly away. Only a stunned Rookwood and Scabior were captured. Harry had another scar on his arm now; Neville found one on his forehead. Ron, as soon as he could, took an unconscious Hermione inside of the house. Ginny, meanwhile, went to call St. Mungo's.

Luna had returned with two stunned Death Eaters and Edward. The baby's hair color was changing rapidly, and he was crying heavily. Big fat droplets spilled onto Harry's crisp, white shirt as Edward cried, and Harry chortled, trying to stop him from crying. He had to admit that a crying baby was far more scary than a bunch of Death Eaters.

According to Andromeda, the Death Eaters had attempted to abduct Edward to lure Harry, for he was the godfather, and they knew he would try to rescue the baby if Edward was captured. Andromeda passed Harry with such a withering glare that he swore she was ripping him apart with her eyes. In order to entertain the baby, Ginny made funny faces and Luna sang to him; he slept after a good feeding from Andromeda.

The Tonks' house was half-destroyed and swarmed by investigators when Molly Weasley entered. Andromeda was shifted to the Burrow until they found a new place.

Harry learned that wherever he went, they would follow. The thought of Edward dead made him shiver inside, and the fact that he had focused on fire rather than his godson and that Luna had to remind him of Edward was disturbing. What if something had happened?

He was shaken out of his musings when a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked right to find Auror Pappenforth looking at him.

"Mr. Potter, it's a pleasure to meet you in person." Harry shook his hands with Pappenforth. "Though this isn't exactly the pleasant time to meet and exchange greetings, I would like to say thank you—like every other living witch or wizard in England does."Harry chuckled. "Now, to the matter at hand. Here it is." Pappenforth left a envelope in his hands and Harry, once he was out of sight, opened it, all the time knowing full well what it was.

 _ **Missing: Mundungus Fletcher.**_

 _ **Dedalus Diggle.**_

 _ **Richard Johnson.**_

 _ **Alvin Jordan.**_

 _ **Don't rush. We will find them.**_

Harry sighed heavily. He had wondered why hadn't any of these people hadn't shown up and Kingsley had decided tolook out for them. In the end, it was possible they were dead but they were not at the battle of Hogwarts and thats Harry has insisted on search. He just hoped this wasn't going where he thought it was. He hoped they weren't taken as spoils of war or something.

Death Eaters still out there was turning out to be more of a disaster than they thought. When Voldemort was here, he had a leash on them, but now free, they tortured and killed anyone they like unpredictably. Harry had almost feared that Voldemort was back but he wasn't. He hoped it stayed that way. But with the Death Eaters still continuing, looking out for formulas, spells to bring their Lord back. It almost seemed possible. Almost.

The last thing he remembered before collapsing into bed that day was Fleur's bright smile when Edward arrived at the Burrow.

* * *

 _ **20-May-1998.**_

For the next few days, it was as if a storm was tearing through the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley and Andromeda fussed so much over Teddy that the other kids were ignored like garden gnomes. It was like both of them had found relief in each other and Teddy. The Burrow felt a little alive and also a little (or very) annoying with Edward waking up every two hours at night. All of them had to learn to change the baby's nappies. It felt like the Burrow had found a reason to be alive again.

Because Harry Potter was taking residence at the Burrow, the Ministry allowed the most powerful enchantments to be placed around the Burrow for security measures. There were three Aurors on guard at all times. Harry did not feel sorry for them, for he had a baby to take care of. Teddy was clearly the spawn of Marauders: two weeks and he had broken Harry's glasses twice, accidentally fired a spell by touching Harry's wand, and pooed on Harry's hand. He hadn't touched anything with his hand until he had Scourgified it seven times and washed it with every cleanser and soap he could find.

Everyone was focused on the little being named Teddy. It was as if they had found a reason to dwell on life instead of death. Ginny learned to sing like Luna, but no one could just match the delicate sound that came from Luna's mouth. Soon, Hermione was talking in Spanish with the baby because she read on some Muggle site that it was good for the babies. Even George had a hint of a smile on his face when he was introduced to Teddy because Teddy had copied his hair.

They were holding a little party for Teddy today. Since it wasn't really possible for his parents to hold a celebration at that time. Oliver Wood bought him a little T-shirt that was signed by the whole Puddlemere United Quidditch team. He thought would be a good gift for the baby and when Hermione told him that he is a baby and looked ridiculous in a signed T-shirt, they had a row right there. (What? Everyone likes Puddlemere United!)

Ginny gave him a photo of Tonks and Remus. Harry bought him a new crib. Hermione and Ron gave a set of little tiny rainbow colored robes and socks. Neville and Hannah bought him some toys to entertain him. Overall, Teddy Lupin had his first smile during his baby shower.

"He is so cute!" Hermione said affectionately as she handled the little baby. Her leg was still bandaged as she sat on the chair.

"Not when he wakes you up at two in the morning to clean his poo," said Ron, yawning. Most of the guests had just moved out and some new, unfamiliar ones had come inside.

"He is so tiny!" gushed Ginny. She made faces at him from behind Hermione's shoulder.

Harry laughed at their antics when Fleur came and took Teddy for his feeding. Hannah and the girls were still fanning over Teddy. It was like he was the new Gilderoy Lockhart in town.

"Where is George?" Neville asked. "It's been an awful long time since I saw him. He didn't even come for Order of Merlin..."

"He is still not over..." Ron said, but he didn't complete the sentence.

"Why don't we go...talk to him?" suggested Hannah.

"I don't think so..." Ginny said. "He doesn't..."

"We have all lost someone." Hermione sighed. "He needs to learn that life goes on."

"How many times have we tried?" asked Ron.

"Let's try one more time,"Harry said, and they all decided to try once again. He, alongside others, had tried so many times that now making George talk seemed impossible. The guy would hardly pay attention to anything they said or anything they wanted to involve him in. He had been recently receiving letters from Angelina and his other friends, but he never replied. It had been a month since Fred's death, but the aftermath of the war still affected him. Haunted him.

They all left several guests, known or unknown in the grounds outside of the Burrow where they had hosted the baby shower. The seven of them made their way to the Burrow. The Auror Proudfoot was guarding the Burrow at this time, while the other two were around the baby shower. Luna, the odd beauty of their group, often went to give food to the Aurors, which Mrs. Weasley occasionally prepared. Proudfoot tipped his hat for her, making Ginny snigger.

They walked in and up to George's room. Ron knocked on the door, but it didn't open up. Ron looked back at each of them.

"Open it," ordered Ginny, and Ron complied. He slowly opened the oak door; it creaked.

"George..." Ron said, noticing the dark in the room. He could hear someone's erratic breathing. Ginny fumbled with the switch, and as light came on, Hermione placed her hands over Harry and Ron's mouths. Hannah also seem to have taken notice because Neville was covering her mouth as well. For there in front of them were George Weasley and Angelina Johnson, sleeping in the same bed. They were clothed, yes. But they were tangled together. Angelina had vanished in an hour after giving her gift, and George had said nothing but blessings with a sad smile and left as soon as he could. Angelina's head was on George's shoulder, her hair spread across bed the bed beside her. Her hands were loosely gripping George's T-shirt, and they were tangled together.

They all backed slowly out of the room, and Ginny clicked the light off. They all hurried down the stairs to the hall and stood straight, breathing heavily from running down the stairs so quickly, and for once their breath was caught in their throats.

"And I thought he was still mourning, git," said Ron, the first one to recover.

"He was," breathed Ginny. A smile appeared on her face. "He is getting better."

"We never saw it?" Hermione asked and all of them shook their heads.

* * *

 _ **HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**_

 _Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Member of the Order of the Phoenix, Affiliated with the International Confederation of Wizards, Leader of the Battle of Hogwarts.)_

 _Dear Mr. Malfoy,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that we are going to reopen Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this September, as it is repaired now. Some events last year have prevent students from taking their NEWTs. We are pleased to inform you that we are accepting students who want to complete their seventh year. If you would, please take a look at the enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _The process will enable you to complete NEWTs and give them in four months. If you pass, you will get your certificate. If you don't, you can wait until the end of the year for your second chance._

 _Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Filius Flitwick_

 **_Deputy_** ** _Headmaster._**

Draco read the letter two times. Again and again, he couldn't fathom why he was invited back to the school that he had a major hand in destroying. Yes, they had changed allies in the middle of the war and his father had been cleared of all charges. However, that was only because he had given names of every Death Eater missing or escaped, but that was all. They hadn't done anything...noble. And that was why Draco couldn't understand why was he invited to Hogwarts to complete his studies.

"Whose letter is that, Draco?" his mother asked. She was sitting just behind him on their living room sofa, having her favorite chamomile tea. It had been made by their new house-elf Gustav. Draco was sure he would be out of here soon because he was sure that he had heard Granger talk about how house elves were mistreated. And because she was such a huge celebrity, he doubted that she wouldn't take it to a new level.

"No one, Mother." He didn't know why he was lying. Maybe because he thought she would immediately snatch it from his hands and say no, or maybe because she wouldn't want him humiliated. In any case, he wouldn't be completing his degree, which would result in him not getting a job. He didn't need it; he could live without working if he wanted. If he didn't get a job, he would never be able to get out of this house and force his parents to see reason.

Because even after such horrible war, they hadn't changed their views in the slightest. Draco was not much better than them, but he wished he could have been a little more considerate of others. He learned all of those things the hard way, and not in the way others did. He was drenched in guilt when he learned that he was not the one who defined the universe or its people, but people defined themselves through their traits and actions. He knew his parents were noticing the change in him, as they had doubled their efforts to teach him blood purity. Were they foolish enough to think that they could teach a seventeen-year-old the meaning of life and his role in this world?

He had not changed. He was still the Slytherin. He cherished Slytherin, his house, but didn't support its ideologies. He no longer believed that being a pureblood meant that he was at the top, but that didn't mean he was at the bottom. He didn't believed that Mud—Muggleborns were at the bottom of the ladder, but they were not at the top either.

In the end, Draco Malfoy had taken a decision to try to be a better person than he was in these seventeen years.

* * *

Percy Ignatius Weasley was a very normal person in the wizarding sense. Till the age of seventeen, he woke up daily at seven am, ate his breakfast. No more than a glass of milk and something healthy with it, told Fred and George off and they mocked him in their stupid twins way; Ron as always rolled his eyes and didn't listen to him. He thought being friends with a girl like Granger would put some sense into him but he was Ron, Ronald Weasley- the unchangeable human!

He then proceeded towards Hogwarts, had a girlfriend, met Harry Potter who became another son to his mother. But then, when circumstances changed his parents were on Potter's side. Their other sons and Percy was left alone. So he filled himself with poison, he filled himself with what others said about his family, worked opposite of them, made the wrong right in his rage over the fact that his mother favoured Potter over him. If only his father had asked him one more time..

They joined the order, he joined the Ministry. They believed in the greater good, he wanted a normal life. He learned to ignore the truth, even believed the lie when deep down he knew that wasn't right. He knew what was coming but he chose to ignore it. He drowned his sorrows in coffee, for he was too noble for Firewhiskey.

And right there, right then, he saw her and he was drunk without Firewhiskey. She was a waitress at the old coffee shop, her mum's possibly as she always kissed the old woman in the kitchen while going out. He often tried to match her time but she came and went on her own time. After some weeks, their timings matched and their eyes met. He had electric blue, she had sinful black. He had fiery red hair, she had plain brown. He had these old fashioned glasses on and she was in those tight jeans people wore these days.

They were not perfect in the slightest.

He stammered while ordering his coffee and she laughed at his antics. That became a ritual, he didn't opened his mouth to order coffee again looking embarrassed after the first image he had made of himself in her mind. They didn't talked for days except 'welcome Mr. Silencer' and 'T-thank y-you'. Even the vampire minister hadn't made him stammer. He was so busy everyday preparing for what to say and knowing that if he said something wrong she would never see him again. After all, he was known quite a lot for saying wrong things at the wrong time.

So one day Audrey decided that she had enough of Mr. Silencer. She took a day off, went to sit with him and started tattling about everything she could find. He listened, she babbled making noises and using forks and knives to tell him stories. Soon he found himself talking about his family with her. He told her about the war, and she kicked him out of the shop, saying either he goes to help his family or either she will never see him again. That wasn't enough, he waited daily outside her shop to say sorry but she ignored him, never let him enter the shop again.

Then one day she slapped the lights out of him right there on the street and told him why he had to help his family, lots of philosophy and lots of moral things. Nothing went through his head until she gave an example of her own father who had died in the army protecting them and he had lived all those memories of his father, mother and family again. And then it hit him like a storm, that nothing would matter if his loved ones died.

From Fred and George's irritating way of talking to his mother's sweaters and fuss over garden gnomes. When the first time he had a little sister. All the brothers had went on the whole night about how they would protect her, ending up in a wizard duel on who would be her best man. Bill had won of course, and was very happy until Arthur told him that the best man is from the groom's side. Percy had laughed, of course he had known.

And she was in danger right now with all her brothers protecting her while he was a coward in hiding, thinking that they would get rid of Voldemort for him to survive. He had kissed Audrey after that and she had been just over the kiss when he had vanished with a crack leaving her shocked. After a week he had returned with his Order of Merlin in hand and a will to spill it all today and he did; she was positively beaming when he took her to the alley. As surprising as it was, the only thing she was worried about were the spider's eyes because how could they kill such a innocent animal? She would get along with Luna..

The days went on with him being promoted to deputy head at Department of International Relations and him falling more and more for Audrey. It had been six months but he was sure about her and she had given enough hints. He wanted to propose with his mum's ring but for that he had to ask his mother who was right now talking to Andromeda about having lots of grand kids. He was sweating, he was nauseated.

Would she like Audrey? Would she say no? If she said no...he couldn't let go of Audrey! I mean, she is Audrey! She couldn't hate her...who could hate Audrey..she was beautiful, she was funny, she was cute, she loved him. And if he calculated, his mother liked girls like her. If she can like Fleur, she could like anyone. Not that Fleur was bad...argh! Whatever. He needs the ring. He should ask for it. But...what if she said no..?

There was an almost zero percent chance that she wouldn't like her. But should he tell her just after the war?..it had just been a month. They were just starting to be normal...

"Percy?"

Was it the right time? What If she lashed out?

"Perce?"

But Audrey is lovely, why wouldn't she like her?

"PERCY!"

He fell off his chair in panic. Charlie laughed at him as he tried to sit up. He scowled and took his seat again. Everyone was at the dinner table, George too on Molly's request ( dragged by Ron and Charlie).

" 'ere iz yur mind at?" Fleur asked laughing as she roamed around with baby Lupin trying to make him sleep.

"No- Nowhere," he said as he ducked his head and started eating.

"Stammering, I have never in my life have seen you stammer." Bill commented. Percy dropped his fork on the ground with a clatter.

"Why n-not?" Percy asked. There was silence in the room.

"Because you are always so... certain of yourself," his father lightly chuckled.

"Are you okay, Percy?" His mother asked, putting her hand on his forehead to check for a temperature.

"I am fine, Mum," he said, slightly red as the others sniggered. The dinner went on with him worrying on how to ask. It had been a week since he had thought and two days since he had decided to ask but every time he faltered. Maybe he was not the Gryffindor after all.

* * *

The cold feeling made him shiver like thousands of cold knives were being plucked out and pushed into his body.

 _Dad, I made a drawing-_

"You are a good man," his eyes twinkled.-

No, no! Not my daughter!

Diggle shivered.

The Dark Lord had won. They had lost. Harry Potter was dead. His family was gone. Dumbledore didn't live. Three Dementors stayed near his cell, making him remember everything, everything that had happened. Was he always on the losing side? Diggle shivered. Dumbledore, who never lost. He had thought their side would win for sure.

And they hadn't. Diggle looked up to see a trembling Mundungus Fletcher, and a Dementor not far away. Diggle wondered if it will happen. If they will finally take poor Fletcher's soul. The man had nothing to lose and thus was Dementors favorite with his very pleasant memories. They loved him and played him until he fainted. Yet they never sucked his soul. Probably on orders.

Rabastan Lestrange came almost everyday to check on them. He wanted something. Diggle wondered why Severus or Voldemort never made an appearance. They were accomplished legilimens, they could simply see through their minds.

But they never did. Probably too busy controlling the world.

Severus Snape, Diggle hated the man. Diggle waited and waited for him to make a appearance so he could just ask once that how had Severus killed a person who had trusted him so much?

More importantly, Diggle wondered what had happened to his wife and daughter. He hoped they were alive and hiding. He had lost hope for himself but he still had hoped. After all- Amelia, his daughter, was only three. His wife- Janice wasn't that off at thirty for another marriage. She could live her life. She would have to for his sake, for their daughters sake. He hoped she would do whatever the hell they want her to. Mark him a traitor, leave his name or simply leave the country.

A scream of another being crucioed bought him back.

For himself, he will just wallow in misery and hope. Hope that he will join others in the heaven soon.

* * *

First **Beta credit-Dobby's little helper.**

second beta credits- StopTalkingAtMe.


	4. If Spares are Spared

_**Chapter 4**_

 ** _If Spares are Spared._**

 ** _1 June-1998._**

He walked through Knockturn Alley very quietly. Black wizarding robes covered his body and his face hiding any trace that would make people recognize him and his wife who was walking just behind him with that wicked baby. The shops here were all open; people were muttering about the story covered in the Prophet on how Harry Potter had joined the Aurors. The public seemed to be at peace seeing the boy who lived joining the Ministry. Many types of crooks and thieves were dealing in a dark corner, afraid of the Aurors patrolling around. Shops selling every rare creature, from Augureys to Dragon heartstrings- not donated. Forced, pierced out of a dragon's heart.

And he was looking for a certain Augurey.

His wife nudged him and he turned around to look at her. She tilted her head towards a small house in a far away corner with nothing but a single room. It was small, had a broken pipe on its side, and the door looked like it just needed to be tapped so it can fall. He nodded and they moved forward again. That house seemed to be lighted by a poor Lumos charm.

He knocked twice and his wife stiffened behind him. She covered the baby's silvery hair deliberately with her black cloak. The door opened revealing a woman in her mid forties; she scowled. Her dark skin was caressed with some lines that showed she was aging and her eyes expressed fury when she saw him. She had black hair. She wore a very old dress that was askew on her body, which looked like she'd dragged it over her head in haste. She smelled of alcohol and smoke.

He had never liked Euphemia Rowle.

"Lucius, My! My! To what do I owe this _lovely_ visit?" she mocked.

"Let us in..." Lucius sneered, raising his grey eyes to her. She raised an eyebrow at Narcissa behind him, then opened the door for them. He walked in and as he had assumed it was a cupboard modified by an extension charm to serve as a kitchen crammed into the room, a single ben, a jutting chimney, a full three piece suite and a Augurey on the table looking at his wife, Narcissa, as if smiling. There was a man sleeping on the bed.

"What do you want?" she asked, kicking the man off her bed. Narcissa gasped as he slipped out of the covers, naked. She turned around and Lucius averted his gaze as Euphemia threw his pants at the man. He looked drunk as he opened his bleary eyes.

"Ma love!" he slurred as he took hold of Euphemia and pulled her towards him. She lightly slapped him.

"20 galleons," she said and he paid, and then slipped out of her house.

"I see, you are mourning Rowle's death very... decently," his lips curled into a ugly sneer.

"Well at least I am not sneaking behind my wife..." Euphemia smirked evilly. "I should say Lucius...I have missed you." Lucius felt Narcissa stiffening behind him as Euphemia came near him.

"I am here to deliver her," he told her, defiantly.

"Very well..." She said bored. "leave her on the couch," Euphemia waved her hand and moved back towards her kitchen as Narcissa placed the baby on the bed very delicately. She patted her head taking the image forever in her memory of her in that white cloth with silvery hair as the baby slept peacefully.

"Lucius...can't we?" Narcissa asked for the thirtieth time. It was her sister's baby after all. Lucius grunted in response. She kissed the baby one last time then stood up obediently behind her husband.

"We will be sending money from time to time," Lucius said. Euphemia shrugged.

"Whatever, I hope you know that I know who that baby is," She turned around to look at both of them in the eye. "I expect a good amount of compensation." Narcissa glowered at her while Lucius nodded.

And then they apparited, leaving the baby with silvery hair in Euphemia's care where she would grow up to hopefully not be another who needs to be conquered.

* * *

"I am joining Aurors," Ron said as he straightened the painting of Armando Dippet in McGonagall's office.

Nearly all of the Dumbledore's Army had volunteered to help in decorating the castle. Ron, Harry and Neville specifically took the head office. Luna and Michael with other Ravenclaws had taken the Ravenclaw tower. Hermione had taken the dungeons with several other Muggleborns specifically just to see what will be the reaction of the Slytherins when they learned that their dormitory had been decorated by Muggle-borns.

Ginny, Seamus and others took the Gryffindor tower which had so many of their memories that she had taken upon herself to decorate the common room with her own hands. Hufflepuff was being pulled off by Hannah and others. McGonagall and Flitwick were turning a room on the third floor into a Memorial hall.

A painter was called on to draw all the paintings of the people who gave their life for Hogwarts as well as the people who had a very positive influence on the war. Like the ex order of the Phoenix with the exception of Pettigrew. Flitwick was there to charm them properly. A fountain was built with every war Martyr's name in the yard. Apparently, this place held a lot of memories for everyone.

"Why?" Neville asked, placing the charms back on the paintings to stick up again. Most of the Headmasters were not in the paintings. Either they were somewhere in their other frames or watching the other students decorate.

"After that thing happened with Teddy... I think I need to protect my family. I don't want to lose more and just staying with them isn't going to keep them safe," Ron sighed.

"Are you sure, Ron?" asked Harry as he took out paintings from a box and levitated them to Ron or Neville.

"I am sure. Right now, I want to do this...at least until we have locked all those in. Then I will retire, open a Quidditch shop and be done with it." He said nonchalantly. Harry and Neville sniggered.

"It will be a weird year...without the Golden trio trying to kill a basilisk or befriend a giant." Neville laughed.

"Or Neville Longbottom creating a army right under the nose of Death Eaters," Harry smiled.

"Or Professor Snape in Neville's grandmother's suit," Ron laughed. "I still can't stop laughing about that."

"Professor Lupin was a genius." Neville commented, "wonder what Teddy will be like?"

Harry chuckled, "he is going to be a handful."

"Of course, Marauders, Tonks, Blacks, Potters and Weasleys as family. I hope you weren't expecting a decent gentlemen." Ron jumped down from the place where he was sticking paintings.

"Wasn't Professor Lupin the shy gentlemen type?" asked Neville, confused as he checked the Pensieve.

"He was still a Marauder, Neville." Harry said.

"True." said Neville and turned around to face Dumbledore's still painting which wasn't charmed right now to move. Neville wondered aloud, "Dumbledore...do you think he did right?"

"No. Not at all," said Harry, taking out another painting of Severus Snape uncharmed and placing it just behind Dumbledore, "but our decisions aren't exactly divided in right and wrong."

"There is maybe," said Ron.

"Precisely."

"Are you sure's?"

"I don't know if it will happen-"

"But let's try."

"It can endanger people-"

"But it's all for the greater good."

Harry and Ron gave each other a look then laughed.

Neville looked between the two, amused. "Merlin! I thought I would never hear it again," he shook his head at the thought of Fred and George talking like that.

Ron and Harry who were still laughing, stopped. Ron's smile turned into a sad one and Harry and Neville looked nervously at him as if he was just going to burst into tears like he had after the war. They stood in silence for a minute, Ron had this far away look in his eye. Then he shook his head and looked at both of them.

"You know... I just realized something," he said in the most dramatic awed expression. Neville and Harry exchanged looks.

"Fred has definitely created a pact with Tonks and the Marauders and your mum, and Snape and Dumbledore are being harassed to their wits." Ron grinned. Harry smiled and shook his head. Only Ron could find humor now.

"And maybe Voldemort is running to get his boxers which had hearts printed on them, which Sirius had stolen and sent it to the highest towe-Star there." Neville joined in. Now Harry looked thoughtful.

"I am pretty sure whoever has created afterlife would go mad with Fred plus the Marauders." He chuckled.

The rest of the day went like this. Ron changing the subject every time someone's death came up in the conversation. Harry sighed in the memories of how many he had lost. Neville actually wished peace for every soul they mentioned, all for the belief of God he had.

Harry wished he had the same belief; toast least he would have something to cling on to. That there will be a time when he will meet his parents again, reunite with his Godfather. Crack lame jokes with Tonks and tell Remus about his son. If... if only they had lived. Harry would have had a childhood, an actual childhood of memories of how he was spoiled by his father, doted upon by his mother. Where he would have burned their cat's tail accidentally and then get a good lecture by his mother. Oh, how he yearned, just for a lecture by his own mother. If only...

But no, his childhood had consisted of being shoved aside to watch Dudley receive gifts. Him being doted upon by Aunt Petunia, learning to cook while Dudley ate that delicious pudding, cleaning when Dudley played with Vernon. Being locked in a cupboard, when Dudley spent his afternoon cycling in the park. Not that he hated Dudley; Dudley was brought up like that. After all, Dudley had shown that maybe he was different. But it was Petunia, his own aunt, and Vernon who treated him like a bug in the house who won't leave them.

Harry shrugged, trying not to remember those things. He had friends now who loved him and he was an Auror. He had a mother. Mrs. Weasley was nothing less than that and he had people who loved him. He never had to see Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley again if he didn't want to.

Neville thought about his own time as a kid. He didn't have to cook or clean but he had to live as a disappointment. His grandmother was, well... his grandmother. He was pushed to show magic. Pushed in everything. Maybe if he'd worried a little less about magic during his childhood he wouldn't have grown up to be such a timid child.

But he loved them all dearly. He loved his grandmother for keeping such high expectations. Otherwise, how would he have fulfilled them? He had proved to his grandmother that he was his father's son. He loved his uncle for pushing him; at least he had funny tales to tell his friends. Now if only his father and mother were there. To see him. To praise him.

Ron perhaps had the best childhood. He only had to worry about how he would do better than his brothers. With curse breakers, dragon tamers, studious ideals, professional pranksters, surely there would be something for him? Oh how he had wished that he was an only child but now he was ready to trade anything for them. If he could just get his brother back, just so he could tease him, he would do anything.

He could even listen to his voice in his head saying what Fred would say to him now. Ron was sure his first line would be '' _Incest is frowned upon in many cultures, brother, and I am certainly not that desperate to take someone with your face,'_ The git he was. Ron just prayed that wherever he was, he was creating mayhem so he could go later and tell him about his own adventures which he hadn't told him before. Perhaps obliviating Lockhart and playing on a giant chess set to get to Voldemort would be enough to one up Fred.

"Oi!" All three of them snapped out of their thoughts and turned around to find Ginny with Fawkes perched on her head. Clad in a midnight blue blouse and jeans she was breathing heavily. "We all are having a toast in the great hall, you lot coming?"

"What's with the Phoenix?" Ron asked coming down from the stairs where he was setting the paintings.

"Luna set him on my head and he refused to move," she shrugged.

Harry looked away. They still hadn't had their talk. Ginny was far too emotional in the first two weeks and then they were busy in Teddy. Yes, she tagged along but they never talked and it sort of now made their relationship awkward.

Ginny didn't have many words. She wasn't even sure what they had to talk about? Or she knew. She just didn't wanted to face it. And what if he didn't love her anymore? He was the the boy who lived. He could have anyone, for example: Celestina Warbeck. Cho, whom he had liked a lot or one of those beautiful Greengrass sisters, but she doubted he would take a pureblood witch... Ginny shrugged, now was not the time to dwell on the woman of your boyfriend's life. Get a grip. You are also Ginevra Weasley, not some... normal..witch.

* * *

The Great Hall was not divided in the houses today. Nor was there a Staff table, but only one big round table for all of them to sit and talk. It was big enough to take the order, Weasleys, DA and staff. There was some space left between Hermione and Charlie for them. Hannah had made space for Neville and he gladly took it. It was like another Christmas feast, just without Dumbledore's words whose meaning they had never guessed, without Fred and George singing till the end after everyone, without the announcement of Quidditch cup and House cup, without Harry going on another adventure, without Hermione worrying herself to death for her NEWTs, without Ron declaring someone mental. They all were happy despite the loss nevertheless.

It was what they had gained, peace for them and for those of coming generation in hope that they won't have to live in constant fear. A hope, a will, a power, to raise their voice, a power to motivate and most importantly, freedom.

Ron dragged Harry with him since he was too busy ogling at his sister, and they walked towards Hermione with Ginny in front of them. "Are you going to talk to her?" asked Ron.

"Yeah..." Harry replied, uncertainly.

"Harry, the war is over. You're free!"

"I know."

"And you don't have a megalomaniac running after you for your blood."

"Yeah."

"And you can reproduce."

"Sure..."

"So be a man! And talk to her before I lose it," Ron gave him a glare with a sugary smile and patted him hard. "Believe me, Charlie and Bill will not give you verbal warnings. We've seen her crying, we have seen her sad and for Agrippa's sake she hasn't insulted one of us for a month and half, we can't count the year though you know..so just clear it. I mean I really want you two together...but...you have defeated the Dark Lord! Be brave, just talk...okay?"

Harry gave Ron a look. After a minute he asked, "who are you?" Ron chuckled. "Seriously Ron, being with Hermione, you are..."

"More mature, calm? Yeah, women tend to do that to men. They can drive you to the brink of insanity and make you feel calm as a saint. Besides...I..."

"Have given too many emotions that you are exhausted?" Harry asked. Ron smiled. "I feel that too, Ron. And not only that but I feel, I am drained. It's just...it's hard to start afresh. Voldemort was a part of me, it made me. I always knew I don't want to be Voldemort so I became opposite and now it's like...too normal?"

"Yeah...not having adventure another year? Damn, Mr. Harry Potter, are you ready for a normal year to just chase witches, do homework and play Quidditch in a normal way?" Ron laughed. Harry sniggered.

"Yes, Mr. Ron Weasley. I think I am ready to chase witches and the book you gifted me. I will be sure to use it. But are you, Mr. Weasley, ready for another year where you have to be mature, content, and romantic?" Harry laughed at the last part of his own sentence. Ron punched him lightly.

"I can be romantic."

"Sure."

"Really, Harry, I am more romantic then you."

"Certainly."

"I have a girlfriend." Ron grinned as they neared Hermione. Harry scowled.

"Don't worry, Ronald. I have a very beautiful witch in mind. I am sure you can give me advice on how to-"

"Don't complete that sentence, Potter." Ron pulled a face and Harry laughed hard.

"You two are planning to throw me out of the group, aren't you?" Hermione asked as Harry and Ron both sat on each side of her.

"Hey! It's you two who are throwing me out. You keep kissing while I'm the third wheel," Harry beckoned taking a large chunk of Treacle Tart in his plate.

"Well you can kiss Gin-"

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah. She is your sister," Hermione patted him sympathetically then turned around to Harry and whispered, "you can kiss Ginny... anywhere..." She gave a wicked smile, "...and you are going to talk today."

Harry was confused. It was not a question that Hermione proposed, but instead it was a statement. "I am?"

"Harry," Hermione pulled her best McGonagall glare. "Today," Harry gulped, then nodded.

McGonagall chose just that time for the toast. She clicked her spoon on her goblet, "Well, I am sure this wonderful moment," she looked around the table. All of them sprouted a grin or a smile and she was happy, very happy today, "deserves a toast. So here I am, to Hogwarts for still standing gloriously after a war," and everyone rose their goblets for the toast.

* * *

"Is it her?" he asked.

"Yes," she told him.

"Raise her...Raise her to be the Augurey," Rodolphus said in vengeance as Euphemia Rowle leaned on his chest, naked both of them.

"Will.." she hid her face in the crook of his neck.

* * *

"To Hogwarts for giving me a home," Harry raised his own goblet while fondly looking around. Alas! Every good thing has an end.

* * *

Rodolphus stared at the baby "I will destroy him, his every memory...his peace..."

* * *

"To Hogwarts, for giving me friends I would die for." Ron raised his own goblet.

"To Hogwarts, for always just being there..." Hermione raised her goblet speaking softly.

* * *

"He took my Bella...I will take away his most beautiful thing..." Rodolphuses eyes flashed. He looked ready to kill.

* * *

"To freedom," Kingsley raised his goblet in the great hall and several others joined him.

* * *

"His freedom which he fought for, all in vain." A twisted smile appeared on LeStrange's face.

* * *

"To Dumbledore, for inspiring an army even after his death." Ginny raised her goblet.

* * *

"Dumbledore is not there anymore." he said and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

* * *

"To Cedric Diggory, a true champion." Fleur raised her goblet making everyone go silent and then there was the loudest toast for Cedric.

* * *

"Just you wait, Time gives everything." Euphemia whispered in his ear. He grinned.

"She will be Augurey to Harry Potter." Rodolphus glanced one last time at the sleeping baby then Back to Euphemia's neck. He will make her Augurey to Harry Potter.

* * *

"To Neville Longbottom, for leading an army right under the Dark Lord's nose," Luna raised her goblet. Neville blushed but raised his goblet with everyone.

"To Luna Lovegood," Hermione lifted her goblet, "for being so positive in such horrible times."

"To Hermione Granger for taking notes in History of Magic," Seamus raised his goblet, "or I might still be in third year." This made everyone laugh but they raised their goblets. Hermione flipped her hair back in a dramatic manner and smiled.

"What can I say. Brightest witch of this age." She winked, causing more laughter.

"To Hannah, for being my strength," Neville raised his goblet and it either made them go 'aw' or just roll their eyes at the cheesy line. But for Neville it wasn't cheesy, it was the truth.

"To Harry Potter, the bravest wizard I ever knew," Ron raised his goblet.

"To Hermione Granger, for being the brightest witch." Harry raised his goblet again.

"And the bravest witch of our age," Ginny completed. Hermione blushed as several goblets were raised to her again.

"To Professor McGonagall," Bill raised his goblet.

" To Professor Sprout," Hannah said.

" To Professor Flitwick," Luna raised her goblet.

"To Professor Slughorn," Ron said.

'"To Professor Hagrid," Hermione raised her glass to Hagrid, who was positively beaming as several other goblets were raised to him.

"To Trelawney," McGonagall raised her goblet making everyone gawk at her. "Where would we be without her glass orbs?" She shrugged.

"To Professor Snape," Harry raised his goblet glaring around, daring anyone to stop him.

"To Dumbledore." Charlie raised his goblet and they all drank to their professors. After a moment of silence in which they remembered everyone, every sacrifice, every gain.

"To Fred," George said after a long time, staring into space somewhere far away, "who is probably furious that we are drinking without him." He said quietly and drank from his goblet. Although it was humor, nobody laughed. For they were too busy staring at George who hadn't spoken much this month. It wasn't until Angelina raised her goblet to Fred that everyone did.

"To Professor Lupin, the coolest werewolf who loved chocolate and we all knew Dementors were just an excuse." Ginny said. And soon toasts were being made rapidly to everyone.

"To Ernie, Ginny and Luna, the leaders of DA."

"To Bill and Fleur, for helping everyone who came to their door."

"To Sirius Black, for his trip beyond the veil."

"To Charlie and his dragons."

"To Kreacher."

"To Dobby."

"To DA."

"Dumbledore's Army!"

"To the Order!"

"Hermione Granger!"

"Neville Longbottom!"

"Ronald Weasley!"

"Ginny Weasley!"

"Luna Lovegood!"

* * *

 _"When spares are spared, when time is turned, when unseen children murder their fathers: then will the Dark Lord return."..._

* * *

"HARRY POTTER!"

* * *

 _ **  
Beta credits- StopTalkingAtMe, Malayanamonkey2004.**_


	5. And the Noses Clashed

_**Chapter 5**_

 **And the Noses Clashed.**

 _ **1-June-1998**_

"Scared, Potter?" Ron grinned and gulped another shot of Firewhiskey as they sat on the floor of Astronomy tower. Tonight would be the last time they would live in the Dormitories at Hogwarts with their friends.. So their emotions had overcome their sanity. Neville, Ron and Harry had taken a bottle of Firewhiskey each to the astronomy tower and were steadily getting drunk. They all felt that they were leaving something behind; something big, like a part of them.

Harry scowled. "Now, you sound like, Draco." Ron cringed and Neville let out a laugh at Ron's face. As drunk as he was, he found everything funny.

"Aw, baby, don't be scared!" Neville said, putting on a girl's voice.

"Potter, Harry Potter! scared!" Ron pulled a face. They laughed, then Ron turned to the wall, taking out his wand as the other two took in the view of the full moon from the balcony.

"What are you doing?" Neville asked.

"Leaving a sign," he said as he focused on the wall and did something with his wand while it released a sort of blue light. "There! DONE!" he said with a triumphant smile. Harry went to look at it. There in a very sloppy handwriting was written:

 _ **R.W, H.P, H.G**_

 _The Golden trio, hereby, wishes Goodbye to Hogwarts._.

Harry laughed, "that's fantastic."

"What is! What is!" Neville stood up from the floor and looked at the sign then gave a triumphant and very loud ' HAH!' and pointed his finger at the wall "DA did it ages Ago!"

Ron frowned, "Where?"

"In the empty classroom on the third floor which was turned into the Memorial hall. Then name of every DA member is written on the wall," Neville told him, with a gesture that said he was very proud.

Ron and Harry slurred a very awed, "Oh."

"Hey, we were discussing something?" asked Neville, confused.

"Harry," Ron said then Neville laughed and gave Ron a high five. Ron stumbled onto Neville and Harry scowled. They draped a arm around each other, laughed loudly.

"Harry Potter! Scared of a girl!" Ron and Neville broke into a heap of guffaws.

"I am not scared!" Harry whined and took another sip from his bottle then walked to the balcony. The full moon was in the sky today and Harry felt particularly lonely remembering his last adventurous full moon. Remus and Sirius were there to kill him, hypothetically speaking of course, but they both were there at least.

"You are so scared of Ginny," Neville commented.

"Like you aren't scared of Hannah," Harry replied.

Neville frowned, "That's different."

Ron snapped his fingers, "I have the perfect Idea!" he said with a dazed grin.

"I, Ronald Weasley, dare you two to propose respectively to Ginevra Weasley," he pointed at Harry, then shifted his arm to point directly at Neville's nose, "and Hannah Abbott." Dimly, Harry thought how Ron looked like a jailor telling them that they were going to be hanged today.

"No," Harry refused flatly without even thinking. He wanted to talk about it but not here. She would be with her friends and he would be with... his bottle of Firewhiskey.

"But what would you do?"asked Neville.

Ron gave him a look, "Hermione," he said after a beat, with another dreamy grin then proceeded to call Harry chicken.

"Fine!" said Harry and moved off in the direction of the Gryffindor tower with a frown leaving those idiots behind. He heard Neville shout, "Here I come, Hannah." and then he zoomed off in the opposite direction. Possibly to the Hufflepuff Dormitories. How he was getting in, Harry had no idea. That was when a drunk Ron - although Harry himself wasn't much better - came down.. His cheeks were a brilliant shade of red as he grinned at Harry.

"Ginny is in Ravenclaw with Luna." Ron said then continued past him singing ' _Our love was like a seeker to Snitch_...' Harry didn't know from where the courage came, possibly from Firewhiskey. Perhaps, he should talk to her, but then he feared her rejection. _Well, If it's not going to happen today then it's probably never going to happen tomorrow a_ nd he sprinted off after Neville.

Harry rushed past Neville nearly knocking him out and taking the stairway to the second floor. Finally after a good sprint, two three screams because he was 'running'. Because God help us! Harry Potter running in a corridor panicked never meant good news. Harry reached the Gryffindor Quidditch locker room. He opened the door slowly as if someone was going to jump on him. Inside was nothing but an empty room with lots of lockers, toilets and cubicles. A broom shed in a corner with a round seating space and a Gryffindor lion on the ceiling. Harry quickly went for the broom shed. His broom wasn't here but an old cleansweep would work.

He quickly left the room and went for the quidditch pitch. It was eleven at night and the wind was blowing towards east where the Ravenclaw tower was standing in its full glory. He climbed on the broom and kick started it. Towards the Ravenclaw tower, he soared with the wind. Now he only needed to know where her window was. Harry frowned, that would take an hour and his Harry Potter patent Gryffindor bravado was already slipping.

* * *

Hermione was having a library day books. Granted there was no library day but there should be, for Hermione atleast. Madam Pince had given her free rein with all the books in the castle. She had found some books on elf rights and most of them were total rubbish. So much rubbish that she wanted to run to the ministry and scream at Kingsley to change it all right away.

 _A house-elf (sometimes also referred to as just elves) is a magical creature which is immensely devoted and loyal to the one designated as their master._

 _House-elves serve wizards and witches and are usually found under the employment of old wizarding families taking residence in elaborate establishments, like mansions, and must do everything that their master's command unless they are freed. A house-elf can only be freed when their master presents them with clothes._

 _House-elves have their own brand of wandless magic which, despite their small physical size, is very powerful._

BAM!

The loud bang from the door disturbed her. Hermione jumped three feet with wand already in hand. Ron sighed, rubbing his eyes and noisily made his way over to her corner. He looked tired, but definitely seemed more drunk than the others had. She watched him stumble over to the sofa and collapse next to her. She had told them all to not to take more than one bottle but no, apparently boys didn't have the emotional range of a teaspoon. She shook her head.

"Wotcher, 'Mione!" Ron said cheerfully. She sighed and turned back to her book praying that he would just snooze off or something.

But of course that wasn't going to happen.

"Her-mineeee," he whined when she continued to ignore him.

"What is it, Ron?" she sighed, giving up on any pretense of reading.

"Nothing," he said petulantly. She raised an eyebrow. Drunk boys... She shook her head.

"''M sorry," he replied as he stared earnestly at her. "You are very pretty." He balanced his face on both his hands looking dreamily at her."So pretty."

Hermione giggled at his stupidity.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" he asked, looking suddenly alert. But Hermione knew he would never have let those words leave his mouth if he had been in his right mind.

"Uh…yes, Ron. Very pretty," she replied.

Ron grinned, looking very pleased with himself. "We're both pretty then," he said, nodding solemnly.

He stared off into the distance in contemplative silence. Hermione was slowly becoming comfortable again letting his hiccups become background noise to her reading, until he started mumbling something under his breath. Something about babies.

"What's that, Ron?"

"I was –hic- thinking we'd make pret -hic- pretty babies," he said, looking at her earnestly, as if he hadn't just completely obliterated this fragile, careful dance they had both orchestrated around each other over the past seven years. Her eyes widened, and lips forming a soft O, she struggled to maintain her composure. He obviously didn't mean anything he was saying right now. His drunken mumbling was just that – drunken, and she would be a fool to take him seriously.

"You like Teddy right?" He asked and Hermione dumbly nodded. "We-are- will- hic- lots of babies," he said waving his hand in the air in emphasis. "I mean, they'd ha-have your pretty eyes, and my tallness –hic- taaallness – is that a word, tallness," he rolled the word on his tongue, then shook his head. "And your pretty hair."

Had he just called her hair pretty? That, more than anything, convinced her that Ron was clearly talking nonsense.

"Uh, Ron-"

"I hope they are ginger though," he cut her off. "I know you said it was a recession gene, dunno-"

"Recessive gene, Ron," she corrected. Yes, that's the thing to be focusing on right now. She shook her head at herself.

"Uh-huh," Ron continued, unconcerned. "Yeah, bid, heh, big, red, curly, pretty haired child-ren. I'd love to –hic- to have your babies, Her-my-oh-knee."

Hermione barely controlled herself from bursting into laughter. He would have her babies?

* * *

Harry finally found the window he was looking for ( he had flown into the Ravenclaw boys dormitories and found Terry boot who told him) and he maneuvered himself to the window from his broom. He jumped in and looked around. It was dark; only moon was shedding some light in the room. Harry looked around and he went for the first bed, thinking of how Ginny always liked sleeping in front of the window at the Burrow. Her hand was sticking out from under the covers and Harry thought about the conversation he had with Ron in sixth year on beautiful skin. Indeed, she had beautiful skin. Porcelain, snow white, soft. Her hand was beautiful.

Harry shook his head. No, no. We are here to talk! He took her hand in his and gripped it.

"Ginny?" he asked and she "hmm-ed". Though her 'hmm' sounded distant and sleepy. Harry shrugged, Firewhiskey... " I... I wanted to talk to you about us..." When she gave another questioning "hmm?". Harry continued. "I know I have been a idiot in these past days...Well you go a little mental with a megalomaniac running after you for your blood and sharing a tent with Ron... But I wanted to say I am sorry...I am sorry it took me this long to talk...I am sorry for leaving you alone...I am sorry for not paying attention to you this past week. I am really sorry. Do you forgive me?"

Ginny gave another very excited 'hmm' and Harry took this as his cue to continue "You know..." he now settled cross-legged near her bed. Her hand in his,"I really like you, but it's hard with all those attacks. I am their main target and if you are with me too they will target you..I don't want to lose anyone.. anyone now, but you said you don't care... would you be with me despite all this?" She gave another "hmm", a very very excited one, almost squealing.

"You know ...You are in my dreams daily...you zoom in towards me riding the firebolt, I am also in the air on some broom... looking like a fish out of water," he was weirded out by his own confession, he shook his head. "You always smile, your hair. . . It dances with the breeze and then you come near me, very near and then you kiss me. I mean you are this close to kissing me but then...but then..." Harry muttered thinking hard, "our noses clash. . ."

And then the blankets were thrown off, lights were switched on and Lisa Turpin squealed like a child when Harry noticed he was holding her hand. Ginny rose behind her and Luna was also there, smiling right behind Ginny.

Harry's Firewhiskey bravado flew out of the window as he dropped Lisa's hand with a little scream and backed off on the floor.

"My god! Ginny! kiss him!" Lisa squealed, shaking a idiotically grinning Ginny, "kiss him, Ginny! He is so cute! Tell him that noses do not clash." Lisa was squealing and Ginny was gaping with a very awed happy expression. Luna was still looking dreamily at everyone and Harry was now really looking like a fish out of water. Horror-stricken, dumbfounded and very panicked."Kiss him or I might just do," Ginny laughed at his face while Lisa kept squealing like a lovesick witch.

And Harry Potter learned that drunk confessions are never a good idea. No matter how many people dare you.

* * *

He was coming. He was there.

"RUN ,AUDREY!" Percy shouted. But Audrey didn't want to leave him.

"PERCY!" Audrey screamed before she could think. Percy was stopped by two men in black robes. They both had wands like his.

"Well, Weasley. I thought you were on our side!" one of them shouted and sort of a green light burst through his wand at Percy; he ducked and fired something of his own. I don't know what, I don't have a wand, Audrey thought.

"AUDREY! " Percy shouted at Audrey again to run.

"Oh, a friend... "another man said as he turned towards Audrey while Percy fired. Audrey scrambles. She felt her stomach churning. No..

"AUDREY! RUN!" Percy shouted,. rapidly firing at both of them now and Audrey finally had the sense that he could just vanish in air if she wasn't here to burden him. So she turned around and ran as fast as she could. She turned around briefly to take a look at the situation but Percy wasn't vanishing. He was fighting.

There was blood on his head; a large chunk of his flesh was missing from his arm. She wanted to run back but it would only force him to stop and hold back to protect her. She was somewhere in middle of London. They had just Apparited and he was going to take her to a ice cream parlor in Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley...from there she could contact his family! But where was that blasted pub. . .

She tumbled across the road. Several stores were closed, several open as she looked around for that old pub. Audrey would have to do a closer inspection because Percy had once told her that she couldn't see magical places. She ran, shocked, guilty, frightened and very very afraid; she looked around, the sound of traffic, the sound of people talking and what not.. But that pub... And then she saw that old shabby looking pub. That was the one, yes it was. It was also blocking the Charing Cross Road. Yes, that's it.

She ran inside.

"Welcome, miss!" greeted the old barman, smiling at her. Audrey ran towards him and he looked shocked as he took a look at her. Maybe because she was crying so much.

"WEASLEY!" she might have screamed at him. Tom took out his wand and pointed it at her. She backed off cautiously. "No- no- I mean Percy- Percy Weasley, do you know him?"

Tom raised an eyebrow, slightly wary of her," Of course..." his wand still raised.

"He is fighting some of those black robed guys with wands and he was bleeding...t-th they a-are in the park," Audrey kept pointing at the door of his pub and Tom's eyes shifted direction from her to pub.

"Are you sure, miss?" He asked, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Yes!" Audrey slammed both her hands on the table angrily and Tom jumped.

"Miss, sit down. I need to call his family... have a...glass of water"

"I DON'T WANT A BLOODY GLASS OF WATER!" Audrey screamed at him in all her fury as tear by tear leaked out from her eyes.

Tom nodded and went for the chimney. Then threw some sort of green powder in it and said "Hogwarts". For a moment Audrey wondered if she came to the wrong place. Was he going to burn himself? But then he stuck his head in the chimney and he didn't seem to be in pain. After two minutes, his head came out and he said there was no one there in the office. Audrey cried harder.

"I.. I..." She was trying to say something but nothing came out. A image of Percy dead came to her mind and she buckled up. No, there would be a way...some way...and then her eyes fell to Tom's wand. "You are a wizard!" She exclaimed. Tom stopped babbling on about how she should calm down and looked at her strangely, " You go help him!"

"I can't duel death eaters!" He said, almost horror struck. Death Eaters...the name alone made her shiver then she grabbed his collar.

"Then what do I do!" she shouted at him and Tom yanked his collar out of her hands.

"I am trying to contact-"

"Can't you send me there?" she asked earnestly.

"I can but you are a muggle-"

"WELL THEN YOU GO!"

"I am not-"

Her eyes flashed and she gripped his collar by both her hands."Listen you! I WANT TO GO THERE, NOW!"

"Where?" Tom asked, wide-eyed.

"Wherever his family is!" But Tom continued to shake his head and muttered excuses while she shouted. He also sent some silvery thing to the ministry of some sort. She had already lost ten minutes, until the next minute a man came down from the stairway and stood up in the chimney, said some name and vanished in the flames.

"What did he do?" Audrey asked curiously.

"He just went home, miss..." But before Tom could say more she had raced up to the chimney and taken the floo powder, slightly scared if it would be painful like Apparition. She shrugged; someone was dying there. She copied the man,stepped into the chimney, said "Hogwarts" because that's where Tom had called when she asked for his family and then she threw the powder.

Green flames burst through the fireplace and Audrey felt like she was being sucked by a giant drain, surrounded by the echoes of too many voices, none of which she understood. Something hit her elbow and she tucked them in. She tried keeping her eyes open but it was very hard with the cold air and then she finally stopped swirling and opened her eyes. She was in...a jail?

Wherever she had landed, it was so cramped that only a four year toddler to crawl out. Audrey had to duck and then she saw that there were bars covering the fireplace. Outside was a lavishly decorated room, the walls covered with paintings, dominated by a vast mahogany desk. What sort person locks their fireplace?

Oh right, wizards!

Audrey screamed but no one was in the room. It was totally silent. Audrey wondered if she was going to be stuck here forever? She should have taken some extra powder. She sighed, Percy was alone. Alone and fighting. What if something had happened to him? What if she failed? What if he died before she could find his family? Audrey knew that Percy's family were no less than officers especially that Ronald guy and that's when she saw it. A lock.

Wizards had locks?

She knew that pin would come in handy one day! With a triumphant grin she picked out the single pin which held her bun in place and started to pick the lock.

"Oh! oh! thieves!"

"Like that will open! You just wait, you thief, you can't get past our heads' enchantments!" There were some voices in the room and Audrey briefly stopped picking the lock.

"Is anyone there?" She asked but nothing came except a cough and a grunt. "Hey look! I am not a wizard but it's an emergency. If you could please call a weasley!" she shouted.

"Weasley?"

"Not a wizard? You are a witch, fool."

"Thieves these days!"

"They don't even know how to enter."

"No entertainment I guess?"

Audrey was going mad. She was sure she just saw a painting opposite the desk, talking. Her eyebrows rose to the point of disappearing in her hairline then she shrugged. Who is she to say anything? For christ's sake she had just travelled by a chimney.

Audrey started picking the lock again and soon it opened with a click. When Audrey crawled out she saw several paintings were staring at her; she let herself be mesmerized by them for a second. Her jaw dropped. Not everyday you saw paintings glaring at you. One of them, a man with mustache, turned around and disappeared in the painting and Audrey ran for the door. She heard several of them shout "THIEF, THIEF IN HEAD OFFICE!"

Audrey rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her, sprinted down the stairs as fast she could until she noted it was moving like an escalator. As soon as it landed her on the floor she picked up her pace and ran. Damn! he lives in a castle? He never said that. . .

But she shrugged and ran for it, out of the corner of her eyes she saw that she was very high and she could see the mountains. Oh where the hell I am? But she calmed herself down and thought ...what would a sensible woman would do?

Find someone. So she ran screaming "HELLOOO" for the next ten minutes in every corridor and then when her throat was hoarse with tension and she couldn't find one soul after sprinting on two corridors, she started crying again. There was not one person here. And then she turned around the corridor and BAM! She bumped into someone who gave a very loud "OW!" and fell on his bottom.

Audrey being too happy to see another person to wonder who he was, she knelt beside him and grabbed his face. With a manic smile and lots of tears, she said, "You are a human!"

He was a blond, with a sort of dazed look "Human?...ah... yeah, that I am."

Audrey cried, "Weasley? Percy Weasley?" She said the first thing that came to her mind. The blond boy winced, rubbing his head.

"Percy is not-"

Audrey started talking as fast as she could, "He is fighting those black robed guys in London , I just saw him and went to that old pub and then I entered the chimney and came here by that powder...! But that doesn't matter! He is fighting those men and he was already bleeding!"

"Calm down! Cal-"

She shrieked. "I DON'T WANT TO CALM DOWN! YOU MORON!" she seized him by his collar. He looked shocked as she yanked him forward, "He is fighting there! Precisely, bleeding to death since it's been half an hour while you all are telling me to calm down! Just go and help him!" The blond guy was agape now, the dazed look gone. He blinked twice before grabbing her wrist and pushing her off him. He stood up, took out his wand and brought it to her neck.

"Who are you? Why should I believe you?" He frowned.

"Well...?" Audrey thought "Please. He needs some help."

"Do you know me?" he asked.

"No," she frowned. Must wizards be so insecure? "But I know he is fighting and if you don't hurry up he might be-"

"Accio wand!" He said but nothing came out."Where is your wand?"

"I don't have one! No magic here. Normal human! Now if you would please call his family because we are losing time!"

The blond gritted his teeth then took hold of her and did the same thing as that barman Tom had done. A silver bull dog burst out from his wand.

"Hey, Neville here, there is a woman on the third floor corridor, says she saw Percy attacked by some guys in black robes, presumably by Death Eaters and she also says she is a muggle. Grab whoever you can find and come here." he said, the message loud and clear and when his Bull dog nodded, he told the dog to find anyone from the Weasley family and tell them or Hermione or Harry. He then turned to Audrey and pointed his wand at her face.

"He could be dying!" Audrey said ins tone that implied she was fed up with this.

"How do I know you are not a death eater?"

"Because I am not a Death eater and I don't like blonds that much to kidnap you!"

"How did you get in here if you are a muggle?"

"A what?... nevermind. That head office where paintings talk. From there, the locked chimney."

Neville glared at her suspiciously for a minute but then a red haired man wearing a suit that looked like something a rich model might wear. He never told me he was a fuckin millionaire...But then he lives in a castle...and he is fighting...

"Neville!"

"George!"

"Where-"

"Hold her, I am gonna check London, inform the others," and with that he handed Audrey to George and hurried off the way she'd come.. She breathed a sigh of relief, finally he would have help. . .

* * *

Be **ta credits- StopTalkingAtMe.**


	6. Foray

_**Chapter 6**_

 _ **Foray**_

 _ **2-June-1998.**_

Percy pressed back tightly against the cool stone wall, holding his breath as he listened for the sound of a shoe, the whisper of a cloak, anything but his own speeding heart. Every nerve was on edge, and he didn't dare let go of his wand long enough to wipe the sweat from his palms. They were out there, somewhere, hunting him, and a moment's distraction was all it would take. Allowing himself a deep, cautious breath, he eased silently around the corner, leading with his wand.

He could see a figure crumpled motionless on the floor ahead. The thick, glossy, black plait told him the fallen was one of the Lestranges but he spared no time to check. There would be time to tally his victories later; while he had got Audrey out to safety, he himself wasn't. He considered sending a patronus, but it was too late now, and it would give away his location.

He had run away after blasting the two off into Muggle london but they hadn't spared any Muggles. Murdering anyone that came in their way, they'd sought him out. "A revenge on those blood traitors," they had said. He didn't trust himself to apparate. He was bleeding too much and he was shaking. He just knew he would tear himself to pieces if he did.

Now it was just the thin piece of wood in his hand and he didn't know how many Death Eaters were with him somewhere out here. He had felled two already, his vivid green jets evening the odds against their own as much as he could.

A flash of motion caught the corner of Percy's eye, and he spun, crouching low to reduce himself as a target as he steadied the wand in both hands. It was someone blond, his handsome face shining with sweat, his eyes haunted as he pointed his wand at Percy. The Gryffindor gasped as he snapped his own wand up to the ready, then let out a deep, shuddering breath as he recognized him. "Holy—Neville, I could have—"

"You could have nothing," Neville hissed in a furious whisper. "Keep your wand up, Weasley! I could have killed you three times before you had it aimed!" His eyes flicked down the corridor. "Where are they?"

"They are here somewhere." Percy wiped one shaking hand across his forehead. "This is too much.…they just come out of nowhere, and they're out to kill! You can't block it."

"Then duck, or get them first, or keep them dueling until you have a clear shot. Just stop thinking and keep your wand up!" Neville had been in one place too long, his instincts were beginning to scream an alarm, and he didn't spare a glance back as he slipped away down the corridor, leaving Percy behind in the dark alcove with his advice and the man's own fear. Thankfully, Percy had enough sense to not to ask questions.

There was the sound of movement from behind the wall ahead, but before Neville could reach the wall, the faint rustles and footsteps of Percy, whom he had left behind, erupted into the sizzles, cracks, and screams of an outright duel. There were at least two Death Eaters, their voices muffled beneath the masks, but Percy's voice was unmistakable, and the Wizard's voice made his heart freeze. His voice tight, strained, clearly in pain as he fired off spell after spell in increasing desperation.

Without another thought, Neville sprinted down the corridor back to Percy. Percy was crouched behind a sofa. He was dueling two at once, one side of his face twisted in a dark, ugly-looking gash.

Neville did not hesitate. Green light shot out towards the Death Eater attacking him, and before the black-robed figure had hit the floor, he was at Percy's side helping him. One of the Death Eaters fighting Percy turned, and he realized in horror that he was pointing at Percy. Neville twisted his arms, raising his wand, but it was too late.

The world flared green, everything spun cold for a split second, and then Percy knew nothing at all.

* * *

Kingsley Shacklebolt was known to be calm in the most destructive of situations. Ex-head of the Aurors office that he was, made him more than trustworthy in the public eye and then being in the order of the Phoenix gave him more respect than he could ask for. There weren't many things that made him lose it.

But this, this did it.

Percy Weasley attacked in the middle of Muggle London not far from Charing Cross road and the Wizarding entrance—the Leaky Cauldron ending in a full rampage duel. Percy Weasley verses seven Death Eaters. Less, far less than the ones who had run away. From the army of four hundred Death Eaters who attacked Hogwarts, a hundred and twenty had flown, a hundred and eighty dead and a hundred captured. According to Lucius Malfoy, they were recruiting again and Kingsley was finally seeing how.

Trying to crush every figure who were known the most in the destruction of Riddle's reign. Capturing authority figures. Torturing, scandals, the dark mark occasionally up in the air frightening the public of Britain. Kingsley assumed Lestranges were the leaders. They were the most loyal to Voldemort after the Malfoys.

The days leading up to now from the battle weren't exactly peaceful as he had pretended in front of the public. Percy Weasley's attack would definitely make it up to the Prophet and the chaos would ensure. With Voldemort out, people were now more freely complaining. Lack of houses, funds were taking a toll on Wizarding Britain and it was weighing on the Ministry. It wouldn't take the crowd much time to demand for the missing ones and take refuge in the atrium.

Kingsley sighed and rubbed his head. What was he thinking taking this position up?

There was a knock at the door and Kingsley lazily waved his wand to give the visitor entrance. Mirabella Flynn–Head of DMLE walked in, looking more angry than she had when Kingsley had accidentally blasted her leg during a raid in his trainee days. Kingsley sat up straight at once. He might be Minister of Magic but Mirabella wouldn't mind hexing him right there. She had been his head once after all.

Driven out of England during war time with the family–being the Muggleborn she was and by the time she returned; the war at Hogwarts had been ensued. She had been very angry. Apparently, her family hadn't informed her on the dark times that Britain was in. She hexed her grandson when she got to know. Kingsley had asked her to leave retirement until he found another eligible head for DMLE. Best one he could find for the office was Harry Potter, who was eighteen years old. A eighteen year old. The boy who lived or not, he would be made fun of and it would be too much just after the war.

Bella slammed a hand on the table, took a seat and glared. "Severe head injuries, leg blasted off, wand burns on stomach, blood lost-two bottles, lungs beaten bad. Crucio-ed one time, bone breaker two times, nearly broken ribcage."

Kingsley wisely didn't say anything.

Mirabella growled. "That was Mr. Weasley's condition when we towed him to St. Mungo's, Mr. Longbottom is fine. No more crucios than he has endured a day before–surely, you remember what I am talking about?" and here came the rant. Kingsley nodded calmly; it seemed to make her more angry. The only reason Scrimgeour was made head instead of her. She was easily angered. "The army he created at Hogwarts sure made him tough. Proud, aren't you?" Flynn was not at all happy learning that a kid Neville's age was leading an army at the age of writing his NEWTs. The Auror department had been lectured like two year old candy stealers for sitting on their arses.

"Preston Nott and Alecto Selwyn captured. Not good enough, Kingsley." She groaned. "I hardly have Aurors to work. We need recruits, Kingsley. I have called on as much as I can. All of the ex are either dead or too old to join the Aurors and then there are those silly people who Aurors have to deal with..." She facepalmed. "I know we don't have enough resources but please make a team for dealing with them... I swear one more person entering the Auror department because he is supposedly being possessed by Voldemort, I will choke him with my bare hands."

Kingsley, in an attempt to calm her, "Some youngsters from the Dumbledore's Army are joining..." Bella sneered, "...if you would like."

"I don't have a problem. They can take the desk jobs and well their training–"

"The DA is trained well." Kingsley at once said, "This is no time to be granny Auror, Bella. They are fit to join. For Merlin's sake, they held four hundred Death Eaters at bay."

Mirabella glared for a moment, looking from his left eye to his right as if waiting for him to break down under it and let her do however she wanted. But Kingsley didn't budge; instead, he looked straight back at her. Not making eye contact was enough reason to make someone distrustful. She sighed.

"Fine."

* * *

"Why did Harry Potter cross the road?"

"Why?"

"Dunno but Witch Weekly will find it saucy. Daily Prophet will present that he is the next Dark Lord and and WWN will be the only one to report it."

Ginny laughed and swatted his arm. George hugged her harder and kissed the top of her head.

Ginevra Weasley was hardly a startled kid. Not with curse breakers, dragon tamers, professional pranksters and war heroes as family. Occasionally throw in her boyfriend to give her mini strokes and her friends to justify it all. It was almost impossible to startle her.

But today, today it happened. She had been so lost a simple touch of his hand on her shoulder had startled her. George had pulled her into a hug. It was wrong on so many levels. Bloody Death Eaters. Bloody War. Bugger 'em all! His sister shouldn't be a part of it. But she wasn't a little girl now, was she? She was just as adult as any of them. Perhaps more than any of them.

That didn't mean he should back away. George wasn't here most of the time. He figured she would ignore it. Possibly a kick to the shin. He hoped she didn't do it in the middle of St. Mungo's.

"Do you think he is all right?"

George rested his chin on her head. His face was tired and depressed looking but he made up for it with sarcasm. "Who? Perce? Are you kidding me? His Muggle girlfriend broke into Hogwarts. He should be more than alright."

"It's so hard..." Ginny sighed like she was suppressing a sob.

"I know..."George said, not above a whisper. Fred flashed through his mind. He coughed and said more clearly this time, "I'm sure Kingsley will take care of it."

Ginny nodded and hugged him for a few more minutes.

"You'll come home now?" she asked.

He didn't have an answer.

* * *

The first thing he saw was that the world had turned from twinkling night to day white. Percy blinked slowly, his eyelids feeling ridiculously heavy, and everything seemed to double spin, and then resolve itself again into the same flat white. He tried to move, only to discover that he could not feel his own body, and he began to wonder if he was hallucinating. If he was, it wasn't so bad. The white was strange, but the numbness was a blessed relief after the endless, grinding pain that had been his world for so long.

"You're awake!" The voice seemed familiar, and as he struggled to place it, his thoughts responding with the same reluctance as his eyes, a face appeared in the middle of the white. It was a girl. A pretty girl, with long red hair that had been braided back, and she looked both worried and very happy. The red. It was above the girl. Familiar. Then he wasn't hallucinating. He was in a bed, and he knew the girl. What was her name?

"Ginny..." The word sounded like it had come from a badly wounded stranger, hoarse and ragged, and he tried again, but this time only a rasp emerged from his lips.

"Shhhh…." Soft, gentle hands slipped beneath his head, lifting it slightly, and he felt something against his mouth as the girl—Ginny—smiled kindly at him. "Here…drink this."

It was water. Nothing more than cool, fresh water, but the moment it touched his tongue, he knew that he had never tasted anything so sweet and wonderful. He gulped at it greedily, but she pulled it away, and he heard himself moan in despair. "A little at a time, or you'll make yourself sick." She allowed him another mouthful, and he held it as long as he could bear before swallowing, feeling the parched, shriveled tissues of his mouth and throat seem to come alive again.

He was starting to be able to feel again. Percy became aware that his tongue was grossly swollen in his mouth.. Still, however, he could feel nothing at all from the neck down, and this began to worry him. He tried again to move his arms and legs, but it was impossible to tell if anything had happened.

With a sense of rising panic, he looked up at Ginny, gratefully accepting another sip of water before he attempted to speak again. "Can't feel... myself…."

The words were still husky and half-formed, but she seemed to understand. "It's okay. You've been given enough Pain Killing Potions to numb a Hungarian Horntail. It's really better that way right now.. I don't know how much you remember, Percy, but you and Neville almost died."

He frowned, trying to shake his head. The beating had been excruciating, the hunger and thirst unbearable, but to say they had nearly died…. "That's not possible.."

"Thank God Audrey had enough sense!" Ginny sighed. A grin appeared on her face. "She came to Hogwarts and screamed at Neville's face to go help you."

Audrey?... Audrey! And it came crashing down to him. Rabastan, Rodolphus and their little gang of Death Eaters and how they had spotted him on the way to London while he was with Audrey... Audrey... who had ran to Hogwarts to get him protection. Audrey, the one at whom Rabastan was letching to Imperius. She made it out alive ... Percy took a deep breath and released it, and pain shot through his chest as he breathed.

"Don't breathe hard...your lungs are fragile...God knows...what would have happened?" Ginny shook her head. "Seven Death Eaters on you two alone...it's a miracle you survived...you didn't even have DA training... while Neville held them off for half an hour till we all found you...it was so bad..you had lost so much blood.."

"Where is... everyone?" Percy managed to croak. "Neville?"

"He's good. Hannah is pulling everything from the past six years on him... Everyone was here...but then...it had been 12 hours and you weren't waking up. Mum took Audrey and Dad home. Bill had to go too, Fleur had gotten really sick suddenly. Ron was snoozing outside the door and wasn't moving until he saw you. Hermione hexed him and took him... home. Harry is sleeping outside and, well, I was sleeping until you woke up..." Ginny said, a tear cascading down her cheeks. She wiped it away, then smiled. "You never told me you had a girlfriend?"

Percy wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to ask her everything. He just noticed that she hadn't said anything about George or Charlie. And also the fact that Ginny hardly cried... had something happened? Had something happened to George? But then he felt himself slipping into that world of relief where he wouldn't have to move a muscle to do anything and his brain went numb.

* * *

"Did you get it from them?" The girl asked. Luna smiled, then pointed at her neck where she had earned another badge of honor, a scar to show she had fought.

Luna had come to St. Mungo's to see Percy, who was still in a coma. So she had decided to be productive and help St. Mungo's with patients. She knew that the staff was short these days; most of the healers were out for surgery, healings, everything, hired by the richest family in England and they had left the hospital. But all St. Mungo's asked her to do was to talk to children who were admitted here during the war.

"This one too," she said and then she pulled the hem of her dress a little upward to reveal the area of her lower thigh where two dark blue lines were visible. "This one in a forest while fighting Werewolves and Acromantulas." The child seemed to be awed at the sight of scars. Luna was sitting near a hospital bed, particularly mesmerized by her questions.

"You are so..." the little girl smiled, "beautiful."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"What...?" The girl frowned. She was a pretty black haired girl with green eyes and she was four years old. She had forgotten her name. She was named Eva by St. Mungo's staff but 'Eva' didn't like the name Eva so much.

"Umm...the person who sees someone's beauty with their eyes, like you. You have a beautiful sight so you find me beautiful too." Luna told her.

"Why is your name Luna? I really like Luna!"

"No one, I chose my name myself," and that was true. She had the choice to choose her name once she was ten, before that there was no name registration for her. Her parents always thought one should have a freedom to choose everything for themselves.

"Really?" the girl squealed with a grin., "Can I choose too?"

"Yes, definitely. What would you like?"

"How do I pick a name?" 'Eva asked, confused.

"Hm...I choose Luna, because the moon was always a sign of peace for me and, I was fascinated. Did you know that the Crumpled Horned Snorkack used to live on the moon?"

"Can...can I choose Luna?" she asked hesitantly. Luna smiled.

"If you like."

"I am Luna!"

"You're Luna."

"Luna...Luna , I like it."

And with a heapful of stories, a ward full of children, Luna spent her night talking to every child she could find, consoling every child she saw crying. By nighttime, a whole lot of twenty five children were around her listening to everything she said. Luna felt happy, and there was something very satisfying in seeing these children smile at her even if they didn't understand half of what she said. Some of them were here because Voldemort had murdered their parents right in front of them, causing a trauma. Some of them had lost memories, like the girl who now called herself Luna.

There were some who were tortured by Ccruciatus. After the death of Bellatrix, their nightmares had lessened but the pain and scars were still there on their flesh, imprinted like a sign that they had done something wrong. Luna showed them her own scars, told them about Hermione's scars, how she was branded because they thought she was wrong but she wasn't.

And that night Luna decided that she wanted to do it more often. This gave her peace which she couldn't find anywhere after her father's death. The smile's comforted her and in a way Luna saw herself in those children. They were orphans;, she considered herself one. They had lost their loved ones because of the war;, she had too and they had scars to show how brave they are and how much they had endured. She had too.

She loved to talk to them and they loved to listen and after all they just wanted to listen and she just wanted to be heard.

Unknown to her, they were not the only one listening.

"You know, it's time we struck." Neville whimpered. It had been twenty four hours since the attack on Percy. It was like someone was especially targeting them. Neville was losing his nerve and he wasn't the only one on edge.

"We've had enough holidays. One month was enough. I am going to take charge tomorrow." Harry said quietly. H, he was sitting on the chair near Neville's bed. Head down, facing the floor.

Ron was pacing the around the room tensely, "Merlin forbid, they target anyone else from the family. I might just stalk out and pin every Ddeath Eeater to the wall, then Avada Kedavra them without even thinking twice."

Harry shook his head, he didn't wanted to sit anymore. They had childishly thought that killing Voldemort was all it needed. They had forgotten that Voldemort wasn't the only evil in this world. They had created their own little world where everyone was happy and they were too ignorant or naive to see that life goals didn't end with Voldemort. There was still evil to fight and it wasn't going to end so easily.

There was a knock on their door, and after so much silence they all jumped a little at the noise. Ron opened the oak door slowly, Kingsley Shacklebolt in all his glory and calm facade was there.

"I thought I would find you here," he said in his calm soothing voice that almost rivalled Dumbledore.

" I,"Harry started but then stopped. He looked at Neville then Ron. "We are joining the Auror office tomorrow."

* * *

Bet **a- StopTalkingAtMe**


	7. Operation Phoenix

_**Chapter 7**_

 _ **Operation Phoenix.**_

 _ **September 19, 1998.**_

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Level 2. Have a nice day," said the cool female voice inside the lift. It was a particularly busy day but seeing that the Ministry was too busy everyday nowadays, it was nothing new.

It was Harry's second month in the department, the nineteenth of September and it felt a little weird that they weren't at Hogwarts this month, feeding on the delicious treacle tart made by the Hogwarts elves. He missed them dearly. From the painting of the Fat Lady to the giant squid, now more than ever since his mother had chosen squid's charm rather than his father (some memories McGonagall gave him, and Neville, as a gift). Harry, along with Ron and Hermione, got his chocolate frog cards just two weeks ago and they were due to be published this week.

'My finest hour' as Ron had told him over and over again. Indeed it was a fine hour when he didn't have to be worried about someone making a joke about him. The Daily Prophet surprisingly was working better with less gossip and more news...okay, a little gossip but a lot of news.

Most of the DA had abandoned their studies for the sake of the Ministry, though most of them were going to take their NEWTs later in December and wait until the first batch of Aurors had finished their training so they could pursue their own choice of careers and leave the Auror department. There weren't many Aurors left and they had taken Kingsley's offer, seeing how bad the situation was.

It was very bad.

With Death Eaters running around without a leader, werewolves showing up out of nowhere, trolls and giants crossing seas in broad daylight, it was bad. Very bad. .

They had been given a direct warning that day at St. Mungo's that they were not going to stop. With less than a quintal of Aurors who had survived at the Ministry, Neville had somehow convinced the DA to join the cause until they had put every Death Eater behind bars.

The ministry had taken the Dementors from Azkaban. Thanks to Hermione, there were now cells which could hold a wizard without the need for Dementors. At least twenty hit wizards guarded Azkaban now, and every captive was held much more humanely than before. No, they certainly didn't deserve it, but as Hermione had said ' _What if we are not here? You know we can't live forever. What if...I don't want, by God, I hope not, another Sirius Black in Azkaban with Dementors eating him. No, even if they all do not deserve it, I would take the risk for one innocent life.'_ He just couldn't deny her that.

Another person troubling his thoughts was Draco Malfoy. He had joined the Department of Mysteries as a Alchemist which meant daily interactions between the Auror department and Department of Mysteries were getting awkward with both of them trying to decide whether to hex each other's bits off or keep the facade for the sake of the Ministry. Harry didn't hold much hatred for his once mortal enemy but that did not mean that the situation between them was anything but awkward. What do you say to a person after solidly disliking them for seven years? They were not friends, and they were certainly not acquaintances. They were...He himself wasn't sure.

Harry had also visited Petunia and Vernon out of duty. The meeting had been one of the most difficult things for him, for he didn't know what to say. The only upside was Petunia had given him some photos of his mother and the old blanket he'd been wrapped in after that Hallow's Eve.

Petunia had given those things, and told him that she didn't want to see him at her door again and Harry had replied with sarcasm, equally matching her tone. Uncle Vernon had chastised him that because of him, Vernon didn't have a job anymore and right there Harry had floo-ed Ron to send some Obliviators to Grunnings. Vernon had his job back by the next day.

The only warm hello in that hell of a meeting was from Dudley; after Harry had said goodbye to them in the most sanest and peaceful way possible, he had gone to the gardens for Apparation, and Dudley had sought him out. Harry spent some good ten minutes with Dudley walking around Privet Drive talking about nothing and everything. Dudley had apologized in his own way.

Not really, he said sorry but a silent one in which he offered Harry a ice cream. Harry had lived with Dudley long enough to know that saying sorry was something Dudley was never introduced to; their talk about the weather ended after ten minutes and they had to do the formality of saying that they would see each other again. In this case, though, it was ninety percent formality and ten percent genuinity. Harry didn't have a mobile and Dudley didn't have a owl. So they both settled on writing to each other every two or three months and it seemed fine. Dudley also told him about the time when their grandmother used to ask both his mother and Dudley's mother to behave like family. Petunia had given him enough stories; maybe he could fulfill his grandmother's wishes after all.

Harry was also awarded a war hero prize by the Ministry and he had used it all to build the house at Godric's Hollow and then shifted there with Andromeda and Teddy. It was his fault that their house had been blown away and till Harry found enough funds for the Tonks household to be rebuilt they were living with him. Plus Teddy needed someone with him all the time. After spending time with him for a month and two, Harry now looked for opportunities to play with Teddy and talk to him.

Teddy laughed at everything he said and never told them to anyone. Harry found him amazing: he knew everything and nothing. He wondered what kind of dreams Teddy had and what language he understood. Did he have a language? Or after being born was he trying to learn their language and forget his own? His weird thoughts were painfully thrown out of the window when Ron, yes Ron, had told him that Hermione told him that babies simply couldn't understand their language. It was something scientific he had forgotten long ago.

Living in magic, he couldn't just bring himself to depend on science.

Andromeda wasn't keen on living on Harry's money; she had four vaults in Gringotts which she had access to, one of her own and her husband and two of Remus and Dora. But she had accepted after a bit of persuasion from Molly's side.

Harry kept jumping between Godric's Hollow and the Burrow; both were like his own houses. Godric's Hollow felt like it was his mother and father's. It had graffiti on the wall he had made of something he himself didn't understand. Was his father looking when he had made these? It smelled like them and Harry just loved it. He was also sort of a celebrity around there. He had a statue of himself there too about which he was teased mercilessly by Ron about, making him blush furiously till the end of the day when Hermione had told Ron off.

He smiled and walked straight to his desk. So much had happened in these past months. As he sat down in his chair and looked around for Ron, he noticed something written on his desk.

* * *

 _HOGWARTSS, ONCE AGAIN!_

 _This year has been one tragic year in the Wizarding history. This year the second wizarding war was fought; its end came in the face of the Battle of Hogwarts. Four months ago on the 2nd of May, the battle was fought by the legendary Dumbledore's army, led by a new leader- Neville Longbottom (Auror), after Harry Potter (Auror) had to leave because of some tragic circumstances. Harry Potter himself fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. Going for the final blow, he triumphed once and for all over You-know-who, or should I say Voldemort._

 _The aftermath of the battle left the Castle in ruins, barely standing. The place where all of us grew up. I do not think there is a child born in England who hasn't wondered before his or her eleventh birthday if they will battle a troll or duel a dragon for entering Hogwarts. Though I am not revealing it here what we have to do, where's the fun in that?_

 _The Hogwarts which we all once saw covered with students wearing the cherished house colors of Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw and screaming at the top of their lungs for their house team was covered in blood of the same students._

 _Every tower, every bridge, every corridor was in ruins, burned to ashes when we last saw it during the memorial. Every corner looked like it was shrieking at me for the loss of my fellow mates. Hogwarts will forever preserve the last memories of my friends. Lavender, the Gryffindor beauty, I will never forget how she used to be the only female Gryffindor to help us pudgy Ravenclaws with everything._

 _"She was a light hearted person. Always in high spirits, she had the knack to drag us up with her," says Ginevra 'Ginny' Weasley, Harry Potter's lover (page 17). The fiery redhead talks about her senior._

 _And let's not forget the Patil twins. Parvati (Gryffindor) and Padma (Ravenclaw). The beauty and brains. Those two were usually the only pair of twins to turn heads after Fred and George Weasley._

 _"Parvati was a delightful young woman, she was a future seer. Very talented, that one. Indeed, she will be forever missed," says Professor Trelawney (Divination teacher) and then burst into tears. The poor woman obviously misses her best students._

 _"Padma Patil was the pride of Ravenclaw, gifted in charms and a very polite, very sweet girl. Their death was tragic and she will be forever missed at Hogwarts," says Filius Flitwick, the head of Ravenclaw house._

 _They are not the only ones though. There were fifty students who died that night; their blood will forever mark the paths that leads to Hogwarts._

 _But the good news is, Hogwarts is open once again !_

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is repaired, decorated personally by the Dumbledore's Army, Order of the Phoenix and the Golden Trio. I could not contain my joy when the new Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, announced this August that she will keep Hogwarts ready for anyone who yearns to study. It will be open for anyone who loves magic and wants to learn it._

 _She ended it with "Help will be always given to Hogwarts to those who deserve it"._

 _And indeed we, the whole wizarding world, is in the debt of Hogwarts and its almighty students._

 _I wish all the students who are entering Hogwarts this year,_

 _Good luck._

- _ **Marietta Edgecombe (A Proud Ravenclaw**_!)

"I am nervoz," said Fleur, her hands tightly clasped together in her lap. Her face was covered in sweat as she kept gnawing on her bottom lip. Bill looked up from the article he was reading. Fleur was looking nervously around at the other mothers in the waiting room who had a lovely glow to their faces. She had just whispered it in his ear because she didn't want to ruin it for other women. Just because she was a basket case doesn't mean she wanted to freak anyone else out.

Bill sighed, "There is nothing to be nervous about." He draped an arm around her. This appointment was the one that would reveal the sex of the baby—if they could reach an agreement about it. Fleur wanted to know. Bill wanted to to be surprised. And this was the perfect illustration of the kind of people they were.

Fleur was the one who liked to be in control. If she knew the sex of the baby, she could plan for it. Buy cute little girlie stuff or cute little boy stuff. Come up with names.

Bill on the other hand was the go-with-the-flow guy. He had told her that they should just buy yellow clothes and be done with it. She had glared at him whole day because he wasn't being serious about it.

Fleur gave an involuntary shiver as his hand gripped her shoulder tightly. She leaned against him instantly, inhaling him in not a very discreet fashion.

Did he mention she was horny as hamsters?

He didn't know if it was all the increased sensitivity or the three or so months of sexual dormancy, but holy hell Fleur needed to get laid. Even the accidental brush of his hand against her breast got her hot and bothered. He had read that women were usually super aroused during the first trimester, but her sex drive hadn't kicked into overdrive until the second one. Bill coughed, looking around and patting Fleur to get her attention. She scowled at him but sat straight again.

"I read zat ze mi-eeht be able to zee the babeey's facz, an' the fingerz an' toez," Fleur said. Bill could already see a thousand panicked thoughts going through her head. "What eef it onlie haz three fingerz, Bill? What eef it doezn't haav a noze?" Her breathing grew labored. "Oh mon DIEU! What eef ze have a mutant babeey?"

Bill turned away and covered his mouth to stop himself from bursting out laughing. But Fleur yanked him back. He controlled his laughter somehow.

"Oh hell. Goddamn, darlin'." Bill pulled his arm around her again as she kept frowning at him. "I knew I shouldn't have let you read _The Werewolf Diaries_ last night."

"I couldn't find anythin' else," she protested.

Since Bill wanted to take extra measures of safety for the baby and had refused to have sex from the second month, this past week, Fleur had been finding reasons to hug and cuddle him. Like, "We need to research breathing classes," and, "My back is killing me—do you feel like coming by to rub it?" and, "Maybe I should have a water birth." Bill had urged her to reconsider that last one because the idea of her pregnant arse submerged in a tub full of water and childbirth fluids made him want to throw up.

"We're not going to have a mutant baby." He chuckled, holding her hand again. "He or she is going to be perfect. I promise."

She nodded weakly. "Zey act lieek thatz ol zere is to eet. Lieek eef za kid haz ten fingerz an' ten toez eet's all goin' to be fine. What eef zere are extraz? Huh? Extra-credeet fingerz? What eef the kid haz a tail?"

Control, he should control his laughter or Fleur would definitely kick him in the shin and so he gulped down his laughter and nudged her to lean on him. "It won't. She will be perfectly normal."

"I'll stiil love 'eet, even with an extra finger."

"It will be perfectly normal."

"Or toe."

"It will be a beautiful, healthy baby."

"Or a tail."

Bill sighed.

"Fleur Weasley!" A nurse came out of the room and shouted her name. Fleur stood up abruptly like a pole which was forcefully bent over. Bill finally let out a little laugh and covered both her shoulders by his hands to lead her forward. She looked at him with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Bill gave her a reassuring smile.

It was going to be fine.

* * *

 _Lord Voldemort will return  
_

 _Harry Potter beware_

.

Seven words

Seven words were enough to create havoc in the Ministry, because someone had entered the Ministry and written on Harry Potter's desk.

The said Harry Potter was particularly glaring at the desk where it was written in blood. On closer inspection, it was human blood which meant they had taken someone again. Like a sharp knife was twisted in their system, the peace they had created was lost again.

"It's..." Ron Weasley was speechless as he glared at the words and there were not many moments when he didn't have anything to say. The blood was fresh, so fresh they had either written it by cutting their own flesh or cutting someone else's flesh.

Neville entered the room, still covered in bandages from the brawl he had got himself into last night while arresting some criminal.

"We have a trail on Avery and Rodolphus, it seems like they are working in two groups," he said seriously as he kept going through the files.

"Where was Avery last seen?" asked Harry, taking out his wand and tracing the lines on it as if trying to keep himself busy so as not to look at both of them. Maybe fearing that the rage he was feeling would be shown outright.

Neville looked up from the file he was holding. "London."

"Grimmauld, by any chance?" Ron asked out of nowhere and Harry's neck twisted so sharply towards him that he lost his balance. Grimmauld...why hadn't he thought of it? Ron turned to Neville and gestured for the files to be handed over.

"Near there somewhere... But no trace of magic..." Neville looked at both of them, as their eyes met and something was passed between them.

Harry took a deep breath as if struggling to say anything. "I am calling Kreacher, Neville. Ron, take position. You might need to fire." Ron didn't even hesitate, he just took his position on the door but Neville didn't; he looked more confused than defiant.

"Neville, please, I will explain later," Harry said quietly and Neville very hesitantly took his position opposite Harry.

"Kreacher."

And with a crack, the same house elf who had been passing snide remarks during the ceremony at the Ministry not long ago presented himself with a bow in front of Harry.

"Kreacher was called by master Harry Potter, oh, that scum still thinks that Kreacher-"

"Kreacher, have you gone back to the house after the Battle?" Harry asked as Ron eased his position and stepped in the room, gesturing for Neville to do the same. Where was the threat? Neville wondered.

"No, Harry Potter had not asked Kreacher to go home so-"

"Kreacher, your Apparation doesn't makes noises? I want you to go in, silently, invisible at Grimmauld Place No. 12 and check if it has inhabitants or any proof that there were inhabitants. If you see one, come straight back and report to me," Harry told the elf. The elf looked like he wouldn't like anything better than to take Harry's wand and shove it up his nose, but he bowed and dissapparated.

"Grimmauld...?" Neville asked.

"Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, our safe house for a while when we were on the run," Ron said, but then a wicked smile appeared on his face. "Ex-house of Black, now Potter's." He gave a pointed look towards Harry. Harry on the other hand was still interested in glaring at the graffiti on his wand.

"But why death-"

"It's under Fidelius charm. The whole order became secret keeper after Dumbledore's death. We thought Snape might have slipped it to the Death Eaters when...you know, but then somehow we made Yaxley know about it. Apparated him right inside," Ron explained all of it in a breath.

Realization dawned upon him. "But that could mean that they are taking refuge there?"

"Yes," Harry finally turned around. "Didn't think about it...with Hogwarts and-"

Neville waved him off. "Now if they are there, we will need a team. I think we are going for a whole group," Neville reckoned.

"There are very few Aurors left. Most of them are already on missions, trails. The Wizengamot is particularly busy and I personally don't think we have time to understand a new team," Ron sighed. "The DA is the last and only option."

Neville looked at them. He didn't want the DA to feel that they still worked under him. That he was still the leader but the Auror department consisted of most of the Aurors from DA and he knew why Ron asked him. Because he knew their strengths. "I will see to it." And with that he left the room.

* * *

"So ladies and gentlemen." Neville Longbottom looked at his team. He had collected the DA who were still willing to fight. Many of them were angry at the Ministry, at the world, because at the time when they were being cruciated inside Hogwarts and fighting for dear life, when the kids who hadn't even learned a protégo were being tortured to the point of going suicidal, the wizards were hiding, cowering in fear. They still believed if they had one more wand that day so many of them could have been spared.

Neville hadn't forced or even asked them to join. Because it was true: if they had one more wand or a stronger defense, if it wasn't a army of seventeen year old school-going children against four hundred knights of Walpurgis slash Death Eaters, they wouldn't have lost such numbers.

So in the end, he had only gathered wizards and witches who had a bigger heart than their grief and pain and who very well knew the world was guilting themselves by telling them that they need to avenge the killers of their friends. Neville had to pat himself; he had led a great army. Li Sue, Lisa Turpin, Anthony Goldstein, Rachel Moore, Lee Jordan, Stephen Blacksmith, Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Seamus Finnegan, Ronald Weasley, Harry and he himself were the only people he had managed to gather after that foray at St. Mungo's.

"We are calling this Operation: Phoenix, since the house was headquarters for the order of the Phoenix." Harry's voice rang through the room. "Avery's, Nott's, Mulciber's, Runcorn's, Selwyn's, LeStrange's, Bulstrode's," Harry told them politely, writing every name very clearly on the whiteboard behind him. "We are dealing with a large group."

"It's only a group but we know their locations. We are going in two teams. Team Red will be lead by Harry," Neville said, then coughed. "I mean Auror Potter," he said, with a cheeky smile.

Harry made a face and almost everyone in the room cracked a smile. "Yes, Auror Longbottom," Harry continued, almost sarcastically. "And Auror Longbottom will be leading Team Black. Team Red and Black will go inside together, but they will listen to their own Commander. Everyone will do the role they are assigned, nothing else."

"Team Red's main goal will be to take out as many as they can and hand them to us or just scatter them. Keep them away from each other. Because unity is strength." Neville wrote Team Red and Team Black clearly on the board. "Team Black will solely focus on arresting them, maintaining peace since it's a Muggle inhabited area and on infiltrating the house or helping Team Red if they get severely injured."

"When Team Red will hand you a target you will stun him, body bind and Apparate to the Ministry. Two Aurors, not from this team, will be there every minute to take the prisoner from you and escort him to Azkaban. You will Apparate back and you will keep doing that until we have cleared it all," Harry remarked. "Try not to damage my house, yeah?"

"Ignore him, break whatever you want," Neville reckoned. "Just play your part."

"So now I need a team where people are excellent at dueling and can work with their wand as a part of their anatomy," Harry said and turned to Neville with a questioning look. Neville understood, Harry didn't know about anyone except Ron.

"Seamus, Michael, Terry, Sue can handle duels in their sleep and you would know about Ron?"

"Precisely." Harry nodded. "So Team Red will follow me." Harry nodded as his fellow Team Red rose from their seats and stood on one side.

"Then it's our work. Anthony and Rachel will follow after Team Red. Your work is to follow, arrest and Apparate, duel only when necessary. Remember that me, Rachel and Lee will enter the house from the windows and infiltrate it from upwards. Lisa will guard the door so as to see that Death Eaters do not get out and also that Muggles do not notice. Every type of Muggle repelling or Silencing charm you can think of." Neville gave a pointed look to Lisa who nodded. "And no one will leave their position."

"And if more than three are down, adding both teams, we all will abandon our positions and Apparate back. We do not want any of you to be severely injured. We have most left are the fifty best Aurors, senior ones who are on missions. Junior Aurors who will be helping us and then the DA, us. Please don't act heroic," Harry said in his most sincere voice. They all nodded.

"I don't want anyone taking stupid chances. Intelligence tells us that there are at least fifteen Death Eaters who will be at this house, and even though we'll surprise them, there's no room for error. Stick to your roles, and we'll do fine." Neville's hazel eyes gave the message loud and clear over the gathered Aurors with an intensity that made a chill run down one's spine. There were some people who simply had a presence, some special quality more felt than seen. Neville Longbottom was one of those.

"Apparation point in five," and the time for worries was over. On cue, they lifted their wands, and with the others, apparated.

* * *

 _Beta credits-_ _ **StopTalkingAtMe**_ , **Malayanamonkey.**


	8. Azkaban Demented

_**Chapter 8**_

 ** _Azkaban Demented.  
_**

Red Team appeared in a nondescript street in front of an innocent-seeming building. Grimmauld Place no. 12 was beautiful from the outside. In reality, the house was a meeting place for Death Eaters, although the Ministry had never been able to prove it. This time, however, was different—a source had confirmed it and it was to include not only the Lestranges but also fifteen others, targets very near the top of the Ministry's list. Heart pounding, Ron glanced around, but the street was quiet—abnormally quiet in fact.

Alarms went off in his head.

Something was wrong. So very wrong; on instinct, he spun towards Harry, but the other man's vibrant green eyes met his, and even as Ron opened his mouth he got a minute shake of the head in reply. He felt his own eyes widen in surprise, and he stared at their leader without understanding, but Harry only said, very quietly, "We go."

Then the said Auror was in motion, gliding towards the house with a grace that Ron could only envy. "Careful," Harry called over his shoulder.

A half-dozen fast steps brought them to the front door. Harry, as team leader and on point, had his left hand on the knob, wand raised in his right; Ron, as the team's anchor, was right behind him. Breathe in, breathe out. He ran a mental check on his personal shield, ensuring that an unexpected curse couldn't catch him off guard, and then chanced a look around.

To his left and right, he saw both teams on the way. Team Black was heading for number thirteen's two largest windows. Their movements, like his glances, were quick and practiced; the team had done raids like this so often, both in drill and reality, that they could find their positions in their sleep and raiding Snape's office was the start. Neville entered first, his partners trailing behind him soundlessly. The plan was kept simple, always, to eliminate mistakes—then the signal came, and they burst through the door.

Harry went right; Ron broke left, his wand up and ready even as he watched their team leader deflect a well-aimed curse. The Death Eaters were standing and ready, facing them and firing curses at them immediately. From the left where the door was he heard Terry swear, but there was no time to figure out why. His shield deflected an Impediment Curse cast hurriedly by Thorfinn, and he dodged a Curse, hearing it sizzle and burn as it hit the wall behind him even as he spoke the counter to Rodolphus Lestrange's Reductor Curse.

Two more steps carried him further into the fray, and a quick "Stupefy!" took care of a Death Eater who had been facing Black Team as they came from the stairway. Suddenly, on the far side of the room, he heard the tell tale beginning, and felt a cold chill run down his spine.

"Ava—"

But the enemy in question went down, unable to finish, felled by Harry Potter even as the famous Auror avoided Rodolphus Lestrange's attempt to stupefy him. Something prickled in the back of Ron's mind, and he realized. They wanted him alive. The same mistake Voldemort had made. Maybe they thought they could rebirth Voldemort again. Deadly curses were the norm for Death Eaters; they had no qualms about killing, but it was becoming very clear that the Killing Curse was not to be aimed at Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom or himself for that matter. As several more seconds ticked by, Ron's suspicions were confirmed—until something else happened to make him forget all about that.

Leading Black Team through the stairway, Neville Longbottom went down.

For a moment, the world seemed to freeze, and Ron's mind clicked into overdrive. Neville Longbottom, his friend, his fellow mate and Auror. Neville Longbottom wasn't Harry Potter but as the leader of Dumbledore's Army he was equally famous, and taking him down was like taking half the force down. The DA was dependent on him; they couldn't afford to lose him. But how had he gone down so easy? Ron had seen him in action before; his instincts were faster than any of them, even Harry. There was something off here.

He glanced at Harry who was fighting his own demons. Meanwhile, single-handedly Li Sue was protecting Neville's frail body. Within minutes, Ron had crossed three steps towards the dining room, stupefying everything he could find on the way. Lisa Turpin, seeing that there were so many Death Eaters that the two teams alone couldn't handle them, had left the guard duty to join the fight.

That was what Harry had feared and Ron could see why they were given the advice to stick to their own roles. The short space in the hallway between the dining room and the front door had been filled with Death Eaters and their team. Too many so that it was impossible to hit one without a perfectly aimed spell. Ron marvelled at the sight of the old kitchen for a second before skipping off to Neville, hexing Death Eaters that came in his way.

From the corner of his eyes he saw Stephen being cruciated and his heart gave a scream but then he saw Michael dropping behind him covering him from Bulstrode's. Ron bent down behind Neville to shake him up but he didn't move.

"Fall off!" Harry commanded and Ron definitely would have missed the command. He had lost his hearing ability with so many hexes flying in the air. The command was to apparate out of here. It was getting messy and one could clearly see the raid was not in their favor.

But Harry was the head.

Ron knew there was little time to spare; within seconds, they would all be gone. Another Auror reached for Neville, only to be blasted backwards by Nott—the Death Eaters definitely wanted to capture him, because the leader of DA would be the highest ranking person they had until now. And they couldn't allow that to happen; he knew Neville well enough to know that he'd rather die than be captured. Ron felled a Death Eater with a quick slicing hex and dashed to Neville's side.

Neither death nor capture was going to happen while he could help it—he felt power sizzle, and breathed a sigh of relief as his shield ate up a Stunning Spell. Unfortunately, his shield collapsed in doing so, and he was left with an unpleasant feeling.

As Mad-Eye had taught him long ago, Ron channeled all his raw energy and anger into his magic, and grabbed Neville's limp arm. Apparating another was always tricky, but his unconsciousness ought to have made it easier—at least there was one less factor to worry about. To his right, Rodolphus Lestrange raised his wand, the Killing Curse on his lips—

And they were gone.

* * *

"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" Ron waved his hands in the air in frustration. Harry grimaced, Neville took a deep breath and covered his face muttering incoherently something about his stupidity of choosing to be an Auror.

"It would have been a success," Neville said quietly.

Ron nodded dramatically, "Of course, it wasn't like they could have killed you or executed you or whatever. I am sorry, I saved your life." Sarcasm was dripping from his voice as he smiled, which was rather forced. Neville turned to Harry nervously as if asking him for help. Harry was shaking his head at Neville when Ron also turned to him. "And you!" he said angrily and Harry's eyes widened. "You couldn't have bothered to share it with us?"

Harry tried to defend himself. "It was for your own safety-"

"I am half tempted to tell Mum. We will see who needs safety then."

This shut Harry up. Ron passed them both hateful looks. He had just found out that they had done everything in vain. It was never Harry's plan to raid the house. No, it was to call the operation off and leave Neville there.

"Fine," Harry said and looked at Neville, "we will tell you."

"This does not go out of this room." They were standing in the main office behind the bookshelf which hardly anyone except the Head Auror or some senior Aurors knew about. It was gifted to Harry by Kingsley when he first came in, but he had used it rarely. One time could be counted as today when he had to conspire with Neville on today's plan.

Ron shrugged casually but looked mildly interested. "What else you can tell me except this plan was stupid?"

"What do you know about Azkaban?" asked Neville.

"That it's a prison?"

Harry sighed in relief then shook his head, "No. It's a torture center."

Ron looked confused, "Didn't Hermione make cells for Azkaban and warded off the Dementors?"

"She thinks she did," Neville told him and Ron glared at them both.

"Can we not try to pretend to be Dumbledore and get to the point?" he asked.

Neville bit the insides of his cheek with his teeth then looked at Harry, "I will leave you to it. I will ...uh...go visit Hannah," he said awkwardly and nodded to both of them.

"At the Burrow today, nine o'clock," said Ron and turned towards Neville, his face now a little at ease. "Ginny is throwing a party for Hermione's birthday. Extend the invitation to Hannah."

"Aren't they...?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"They will floo in. Honestly, there has to be some perks of being Hermione Granger." Ron rolled his eyes at both of them then looked at Neville again, "By the way congratulate Hannah. Saw her kicking a bloke twice her size out of the pub this morning." Ron who rarely looked impressed was grinning.

Neville smiled smugly, "You haven't seen anything." Ron laughed. "But why are you so happy about it?"

Ron turned to Harry, "The bloke being Zacharias Smith might have something to do with it."

Harry put one hand on his mouth to stifle his laughter at which he failed horribly. Neville's lips twitched but man! he had self control.

"I will tell her," and with that Neville left.

Harry cleared his throat, "Amusing thoughts aside, Azkaban is not the one hit wizards are guarding."

Ron's amused facade gone, he turned serious.

"There is another island, surrounded by water from all sides. That is the one hit wizards are guarding. The original Azkaban..." Harry pursed his lips and frowned, "is still full of Dementors. They are not leaving it. They had lived there far too long and the rumors, which I think are ninety nine percent correct, are that Death Eaters are in touch with the Dementors. During Voldemort's time, many innocent people were sent there. The dark wizards who have broken out or were let out by Dementors were taken down by the Aurors, mostly, but the people who shouldn't even be there, those Dementors refuse to leave them."

Ron rubbed his forehead, "Can't the patronus-?"

"There are thousands of Dementors, Ron."

"Right, that's tragic. But why was Neville trying to get himself murdered?"

"He volunteered to be the one. We thought we could send one inside Azkaban to give them wands. Since, whenever we try from outside, they form a group but an inside attack would have been something they wouldn't be prepared for. There are several of our Aurors living inside, still. Waiting for us." Harry closed his eyes, remembering his own meetings with those creatures. The day he had heard echoes of his mother and father. It was not something he even wanted to try again.

"That's... why no one knows about it?" Ron asked.

"We have just fought a war," Harry told him. Ron knew his question was ridiculous. If this information was released at this time it would be a threat to the peace they had created. There was still caution in the air and releasing that they had failed at this time would either result in another battle or massive abandonment of England.

"Any plans?" Ron asked.

"No," Harry nearly whispered. Ron knew it was a sensitive topic. Hearing his dead mother's voice wasn't something he wanted him to hear. Ron placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, I overreacted." Harry nodded and accepted his apology with a smile. Ron knew he needed to teach Harry to not to accept apologies like that, so easily. But then, Ron shrugged, it was the thing that made him Harry. "We will solve it. Like we have before. Maybe Hermione will be able to get in the restricted section with permission now," he said mockingly and Harry let out a little chuckle. Ron wrapped an arm around Harry's head. "I miss the times when she was like -' I understood! Now let's run to the library.'" Ron gave a little dramatic imitation of Hermione and Harry finally let out a hearty laugh. "We will solve it, don't worry. Be happy."

Harry smiled, "We will."

* * *

Audrey stared at Percy.

Percy stared at Audrey.

Audrey swallowed a huge lump forming in her throat.

The sweet, dorky, stammering Percy who didn't talk much and heard everything she said, whom she had fallen for, who was also a wizard and who was so utterly sweet that Audrey wanted to taste him in more than one way.

He was standing at the door of her apartment with his ever so perfectly set hair, clad in a midnight blue shirt and black pants, the baby blue eyes of his shining with embarrassment and smugness at her shocked expression at the same time (if it was even possible), carrying a small suitcase with him. He was recovered from foot to toe in all regions. And damn he had arms!

Insert quote from The Wizard of Oz: _"I am melting! I am melting! What a world! What a world!"  
_  
Should she be a proper women and welcome him in or drag him to the bed and let the madwoman inside her work?

Percy raised a eyebrow at her and she blurted out the first thing that was on her mind.

"You have arms..."

Percy chuckled. "Surprise."

She controlled herself to not to let out the schoolgirl giggle she was on the brink of. Percy now seemed to be uneasy. She figured it was something to do with her since she was gaping at him like a fish out of water. She shook her head and further opened the door to her apartment and welcomed him in after the rather awkward two minutes.

"Thank you," he said and walked in. Her room was something you would not describe as a teen's room. He let out a sigh; finally he had found something they had in common. A liking for cleanliness.

Good going there, Percy!

He shrugged and turned to look at Audrey who was now looking at him nervously and tucking her hair behind her ear even when it was not out of place. It was a habit of hers he had caught on in the six or seven months they were together.

"It's not much," she said looking anywhere but him.

"It's cozy," he said, then gave a nervous cough.

"Thanks," she smiled and his heart gave a flutter.

"I am sorry..." he said then pursed his lips, "I came without warning..."

She grinned, "How much time it has been, Percy? You don't need to apologize for such things."

"Manners, I am sure it's an unfamiliar territory to you," he commented rather in a Professor-kind-of-way than the smug look which most boys had opted for in past days when she had been dating her crushes at university.

But then again, Percy had to be extraordinary. He was a wizard after all.

"If I had manners, we never would have met," she replied, leaning against the door as Percy studied her. She was clad in a long pink top that went to her mid thighs and pyjama shorts that ended above the knees. Her hair was swishing behind her and she looked like she had just washed her face.

"That's true," he replied with his proper-proper smile and Audrey couldn't control the giggle that came out of her mouth.

"Stop that," she told him.

"What?"

"This prim and proper facade."

"I am prim and proper."

Audrey gasped dramatically then wiggled her eyebrows. "You didn't say that when you were shagging me in a bathroom with your mother in the room next to it."

Percy went beet red. "In my defense, you were the one who was throwing ideas of bathing together when I was in the shower. That too, a morning shower."

Audrey laughed, a hearty laugh. "You were squirming, it was funny."

"You love to laugh at my expense, don't you?" he asked, taking a step closer to her and dropping his suitcase on the floor.

She didn't take a step; she took quite a few and was soon hugging him. Her hands around his waist and her face in the crook of his neck. He hugged her back and tucked her to himself, tightly. His chin rested on her head. "I love you."

He chuckled. The best thing about her was, she could never think before blurting out things in front of him. It wasn't because she couldn't lie (she lied very well); it was because she trusted him enough to know her every thought. And her thoughts around him usually contained an 'I love you' in the middle of a conversation whenever she felt like it. "I love you too."

"Are you are going somewhere?" she asked.

"Yes. I had to ask you something though."

"Mhmm, I am listening."

He let go of her and she moved back a little but not before a little kiss on his lips which left a lingering desire to chuck everything and be here all day. "You remember Hermione?"

She frowned, "The silent black-haired girl?"

"That's Angelina, but no. The one with bushy brown hair...?"

She jumped excitedly, "Oh, I know that one... Her-minee? Right?"

He laughed, "Hermione. Yes."

"The dental doctor! Oh how could I have forgotten?" Audrey played with her hair. "The only one who knows what a toaster is."

"Yes, it's her birthday. We are throwing a party. She has specifically asked me to invite you," he said fondly. Percy had always gotten along with Hermione. The only one who knew the real importance of books. Audrey looked like she was going to smile but then she frowned.

"Not to be rude and it's nothing to offend you," she said, carefully closing the distance between them and playing with his tie now, "but...your family usually doesn't celebrate birthdays... is there something special?"

Percy chuckled, "Nope. Believe me, we celebrate...just the times weren't right this time." He shook his head and clutched both her hands in his, making circles on her palms with his thumb. "But Ginny got rather angry. Everyone too... down. She wanted everyone to get off their arses and behave normally and since we haven't celebrated anything except the dozens of feasts after Hogwarts, she wanted to throw a party. Hermione's birthday just happened to be today."

Audrey giggled, "You couldn't have told me that in the morning? Where would I buy the gift, Percy?"

Percy kissed her hands then lowered them, "We will find something. Why do you think I'm here so early?"

Audrey continued to look at him and he back. They didn't shift their eyes for a second. Audrey frowned, "They are all going to be witches and wizards?" she asked hesitantly. It was one thing to take a Muggleborn witch home: she wouldn't know about customs but she would fit in with her magic. But it was just another thing to take a Muggle. Percy knew Audrey felt a little out of place with all of them doing things she couldn't. She wasn't jealous of course but the fact that she didn't have power to hold her ground if she decided to raise her voice was a little scary. He smiled at her earnestly, "No, Hermione's parents are coming too. It's only family and some really close friends." She gave a rather breathy sigh.

After half an hour Percy had taken a shower and got himself dressed again after apparating in his own old apartment. He was wearing a royal blue buttoned shirt with a black coat on top of it, blue jeans and his old Gryffindor muffler while Audrey was ready in a shimmering emerald green dress that ended on her knees with a Peter Pan collar, a red clutch, red boots with a black trench coat and a red muffler. Her hair was up, pinned to the right side of her head in loose curls and her left ear was adorned by a silver earcuff.

Currently, she was correcting her lipstick in the mirror while Percy roamed around her room from cupboards to wardrobes to find the wrapping paper she had said 'might be in the cupboard', stopping only to glance at her backside when she bent to check something under the table. He sighed. And here he thought that Audrey liked a tidy environment. In reality, she had just stuffed everything which was on the floor clumsily into the cupboard or under the bed to make it look clean for her mother who had visited her this morning. In the end, he gave up and decided to just transfigure something into wrapping paper instead.

Percy checked his watch, "We have ten minutes to spare, Audrey," he informed her.

She turned around abruptly, her lipstick in her hand and her mouth hanging open, and squeaked, "Sorry!"

He smiled and walked towards the mirror behind her. Her nervousness was not new. While Percy usually felt calm and collected and a little pompous too (as Charlie had told him on more than one occasion), Audrey was jittery and nervous. She was usually the bold one in this relationship in many aspects but meeting his family and friends was not one of them.

Since she had once told her ex's mother that she looked like a grown up eggplant (which Percy had found hilarious), resulting in a breakup, she would have refrained from meeting her boyfriend's family until the day of marriage if it was up to her.

He placed his hands on her shoulder with a very little pressure while Audrey was frantically cleaning her face, wiping sweat or whatever girls did with makeup. She calmed down a little as his hands made way to her waist and pulled her back to him. She let out a breath she didn't knew she was holding. They both looked at their reflections in the mirror.

Percy was smiling from where his face was settled on her shoulder, his glasses a little askew and his hands firmly placed on her waist. Audrey was frowning, her face resting against his cheek and her hands on his hands.

"Nothing will go wrong, you have met them before. They like you," he told her reassuringly.

"That was just a week, Percy, and that wasn't even a official meeting," she whined. "You were in the hospital. The last thing on your mother's mind that day was to ask me if I know how to cook. This is going to be an official meeting, you know?"

He smiled, rather amused, then kissed her cheek lightly, "I will be on your side. You can reassure me, I can reassure you."

She looked at him, bewildered, "You are not thinking...?" He turned his eyes away from her, and she brought them back by forcing his chin up to her. "They. Don't. Hate. You," she told him firmly. "Seriously, your family loves you. They forgave you long ago."

"I know..."

She looked at him for a moment then kissed him slowly. Her kiss was soft and sweet and made him tingle all over. Her lips were warm and felt like home, and even though her kisses were slow and gentle he could feel the weight of what she felt behind them. It was as if there was magic all around them – the hairs on his arms stood to attention and her insides glowed at the thought of the words he'd said, and truth be told, it was more dizzying than the most complex and powerful magic he'd ever performed. She pulled away far too soon, leaving the briefest impression of her lips on his.

"Let's go."

And then they apparated outside the Burrow.

* * *

Beta credits- **_StopTalkingAtMe_**. Malayanamonkey 2004


	9. Veritatis et virtutis

" _ **Chapter-9**_

 _'_ _ **Veritatis**_ _ **et**_ _ **virtutis**_ _'_

It was a beautiful evening in September. The sun was sparkling shamelessly in the crystal clear sky while setting somewhere behind the mountains slowly. The little birds were singing their cheerful song in the green trees and the habitual chillness of Scotland had been choked by the infectious warmth of Hogwarts' magic. Hogwarts was silent with few people roaring in the dark long corridors that evening, and even fewer teachers surveying the grounds. Luna stepped outside the Ravenclaw dormitory. Today was one of the finest days in Hogwarts' history, though one would argue that these days, every day was the finest. Luna started moving towards the Great Hall, all the while gazing around in delight. She wanted to take it all in while she could. Today was her last day here. Today she would be leaving all this.

Hogwarts had become her family, her life, and the school itself had been so much more than just an institution where she had learnt to do magic. It was in Hogwarts that she had discovered just how beautiful magic was, just how interesting animals and magical beasts were and it was there that she had found friendship…real friendship.

She emerged on the ground floor, every once in a while hopping, imagining that this was yet another evening when she would get up and have snacks in the Great Hall.

But it wasn't just another normal evening… She suddenly felt sad for abandoning her childhood playground, the teachers, and her favorite desk in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom overlooking the Quidditch Pitch. She regretted having to say goodbye to the jolly ghosts, for she would surely miss a nice talk with Sir Nicholas, or friendly advice from the Fat Friar, or even a shy glance from the Grey Lady every once in awhile. And even Peeves, she would most certainly feel sorry about not waking up in the morning without his pathetic little songs, most of which he had composed on her account…and Moaning Myrtle, how many times she had scared Luna to death, when she had snuck into the damaged bathroom to find a little tranquility. Oh, this was all so difficult…

She entered the Grand Hall, with a lump in her throat, suddenly feeling cowardly and, for the first time in years, reluctant to sit at the Ravenclaw table, at the exact spot she had occupied all throughout that time. Nevertheless, she managed to walk past the Slytherin table, without even bothering to frown at the malicious sneers from Daphne Greengrass and her loyal companions, who now were the successors of Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode and the other girls who had left the former year. If by any reason, in the past, she would have felt offended by their name calling and the infamous "Loony" nickname, today she held her head high, knowing that she was just another person on whom the Slytherins would pour their hatred.

At least the other faces of the students belonging to the rest of the houses, were much warmer and in a way loving towards Luna. Carol Hitchink, a witty girl with black hair and deep green eyes smiled at her from across the Ravenclaw table and waved at her to come and sit by her.

Luna shook her head and then gestured towards the Gryffindor table at the far end corner of the room, and most specifically in Ginny's direction, who was talking vividly with some of her dormitory mates. They were all laughing and smiling and Luna guessed that they were most probably talking about Hermione's birthday, an event which was to take place at dawn the next day. This was unknown by the lovely nerd who was down in the library searching for an answer to Luna's question. Luna had always wondered some things no one could answer so she hadn't really bothered to ask anyone about them, but Ginny had pushed Luna to question Hermione today. After all, what better way to hole a bookworm into the library than with a riddle which she couldn't solve? The question was so simple, it was ingenious.

'How does a Dementor die? How can we make them go away if we couldn't use the patronus charm?'

True to her question, Hermione didn't have an answer to that and held herself in the library whole day promising Luna she would get to the roots of it. She approached the table and all of a sudden the loud murmurs and giggles ceased, and the sparkling eyes of the flirty girls beamed at her playfully. Ginny smiled.

"Good morning, Luna," she said. "Care to join us for breakfast? The girls and I were talking about the vacation." Ginny air quoted "the vacation". 'The vacation' was something they had all been thinking about. Just after the war, on the way to be normal, they had done what normal people did. Joined real school, took on a job, etc. But they had forgotten they weren't normal At least one article was done on one of them in the sacred pages of Witch Weekly with _'Harry Potter's new love interest!'_ being a regular occurrence by now. They had to have a much needed break after this. Everyone was planning on going somewhere after this four month graduation Hogwarts had offered. Ginny, of course, was very enthusiastic.

Ginny continued, "…I was just telling them that Harry and I are going on a trip to Japan to see the Quidditch World Cup."

"Merlin, you and Harry must be the only people on earth who think that the Wronski Feint is romantic," Queenie Hayden blurted from across the table, making the girls laugh soundly.

Luna smiled, her lips curling slightly, enough to leave the impression that she indeed had enjoyed the remark, but still not sufficient as to camouflage the sudden sadness about finally leaving the grounds after seven years.

"I find it quite…unique," Luna added after the giggles started fading. "My dad and I went on a trip there, just before our fifth year…We went looking for Crumpled-Horned Snorkacks."

"Did you find any?" another girl, whom Luna knew only by sight, asked, making Ginny glare at her.

"Oh…I'm afraid we didn't," Luna responded dreamily, her eyes gliding towards the pudding on Ginny's plate. "They're quite difficult to track, you see. It takes years and years to at least get a glimpse of them; they're quite agile creatures and do like to hide a lot."

"I'm sure they do," the nasty girl replied and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Harry ran into your dad the other day," Ginny beamed at her, "He told me you scored an internship."

Luna's lips curled into a full grown toothy grin. "I did, actually. I'm starting next week."

"So you are going to leave everything here?" Queenie asked. "Not graduate?"

"Mr. Scamander accepted me without it."

"According to Mr. Scamander, Luna here has a natural talent. She doesn't need NEWTs to enter his class." Ginny smiled with pride, passing Luna a wink at the same time. Luna giggled into her hand.

"Indeed…I'm starting next week," Luna answered playfully.

"What's it about?"

"Oh, well, I'm going to be Newt Scamander's assistant," she said and started fidgeting with her wand, not being able to find it a proper position in her pocket. "I reckon it should be really interesting…I mean, Mr. Scamander is one of the greatest naturalists of our time. I'm sure I will learn a lot from him."

"I'm glad for you, Luna," Ginny replied, a broad grin appearing on her face. "But please, do sit!"

"Oh no…I must go back to my table," Luna said. "This is, after all, the last time I'm going to be a Ravenclaw."

Ginny smiled as the girl with long, dirty blonde hair waved at her and then headed back to her respective table. How much Luna had changed in the past three years…She was no longer an outcast…she had friends who cared for her, people whom she had helped and in return they had shown their undying loyalty.

She was no longer Loony the girl that talked too much about Crumpled Horned Snorkacks, making everyone else uncomfortable around her. Yet even if she still dreamed so big and at times fantasized about beasts and all kind of magical creatures that no one had ever heard of, she didn't bother anyone anymore, like she used to in the past. Ginny was glad that Luna was her friend.

And as Ginny turned around to talk about the seven hundred fouls for the seeker with Queenie, her eyes fell on her watch.

* * *

 _ **6:35**_

"Oh Merlin!" Ginny screamed and at once ran across the hall dragging the shocked Ravenclaw with her to the Headmasters office.

"That's her."

Ron and Harry froze over the cake they were still icing as the front door closed, their wands poised mid-air as they exchanged worried glances.

"She's early, I told her eight and she appears five minutes earlier!" Ginny hissed.

"She's Hermione," Harry whispered, rolling his eyes. "You don't tell Hermione the exact time if you want her to be late."

Ron looked around the half-decorated kitchen, taking in the icing on the cake that read 'Happy Birt', the streamers that were distinctly not swinging and the unlaid table. "Bloody hell," he said. "What are we going to do?"

Ginny's eyes darted around the kitchen, and then she shrugged. "Distract her for a bit, and I'll sort everything in here."

"Are you sure you can manage?" Ron asked, peering at the others in the room with concern. Charlie raised an eyebrow from across the table where he was hanging balloons with Fleur and pursed his lips in offense that he'd even asked the question. Ron offered him a vague apologetic smile, which did little to appease him. "How long do you need?"

"Quarter of an hour?" Charlie said. "I'm sure you'll find some way to keep her amused," he added, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Ron shot Charlie a mock-glare and grabbed his wallet, headed out of the room and intercepted Hermione in the hall. She was taking off her coat, brushing the clinging drizzle from it before hanging it on the umbrella stand. She looked up when a floorboard creaked beneath his feet. "Oh. Hello," she whispered, peering at him through the gloom, her eyebrows high on her forehead in surprise. "I didn't know you were coming early."

"Got off work early," he said quietly. He tried to shrug nonchalantly, as if he hadn't gone into work two hours before everyone else for a head start on his paperwork and called in a couple of favours so he could leave early. Although he wasn't entirely sure why he'd bothered, since all he and Harry had done with the extra time was argue about whether Hermione would prefer royal icing on her birthday cake or buttercream. Not that – until very recently – either of them had had any idea how to make either….

Ron looked back at the door. He hoped the cake would be all right. He hoped his family would be all right, left to their own devices.

Hermione ran a hand through her ponytail and straightened her red jumper and then smiled at him. Ron stepped closer so he could wrap his arms around her and pull her to him for a kiss. Ron snaked his hands around her waist for something to hold onto as his lips moved over hers. The kiss made him feel just a little bit woozy, and then he tried to subtly back Hermione down the corridor and away from the kitchen door as they kissed. He stopped when Hermione made a vague 'oof' noise as he backed her entirely not-subtly, the wall next to the umbrella stand. He smothered her protest with his lips, which she didn't seem to entirely mind, and then pulled away slowly, smiling at her apologetically. "What are you really doing here?" Hermione asked, grinning at him and brushing some hair off his forehead.

"I thought you might want to get started on your birthday celebrations," he said, returning her grin with a cheeky one of his own and hoping that Hermione wasn't going to put up anything more than a token of protest. He shifted forward a little, pressing her body into his and stroked her arms gently. "This is a very nice surprise," she said, wrapping her arms around him and easing against him, placing her warm lips on his forehead in a gentle kiss.

"Good," he said quietly. He rested against her for a moment, savouring the warmth of her lips against his skin, not really wanting to move, even though he'd planned to take Hermione upstairs to the library and away from the surprise in the kitchen.

Hermione's arms tightened around him, and she murmured happily against his chest. He wondered if she was feeling the same way, as if what she actually wanted for her birthday was to stay like this forever.

A pop and the sound of Bill cursing loudly on the other side of the kitchen door rather spoiled the moment, though, and Ron leant back, meeting Hermione's inquisitive raised eyebrow with what he hoped was an innocent expression. He cleared his throat far too late to cover the noise. Hermione raised her eyebrow higher, smirking as her eyes darted down the corridor to the source of the noise. "Do you want to come upstairs and open your gift?" he asked, as brightly as he could muster when she was trying desperately not to laugh.

"What was that?" Hermione asked, indicating to the door and the noise beyond it with a jerk of her head.

"Dunno," Ron said quickly, fully aware that he really wasn't fooling her. "Probably Ginny and Fleur got in another brawl."

Hermione looked at him entirely too knowingly. "Probably," she said, through a breathy chuckle.

"Do you want to come and open your present, then?" he asked, and Hermione nodded. She slid her fingers between his, shivering a little. He took her coat from the umbrella stand, and led Hermione up the stairs.

Once the door was closed behind them, Hermione threw a spell casually in one corner. A mini fireplace appeared, filling the room with warmth. Flames shot up and danced, while she cast another spell at the lights which flickered into life, casting shadows across the room. It made the whole place look homely and inviting, as only she knew how. "How was your day?" she said over her shoulder as she inspected the fire she'd created with a puzzled frown, apparently feeling it wasn't quite up to scratch.

"Good," he said. "A spider kept trying to make a web in Neville's hair. It was funny watching him get rid of it. How was yours?" Hermione turned and leaned on the door, rolled her eyes and thrust her hands into the pockets of her black jeans. "That bad?" he asked.

"Worse," she said, scuffing the carpet with her toe. He raised an eyebrow, indicating that he expected details. "Have you ever been to the place Hagrid laughingly calls Buckbeak's house?" she asked, glancing up at him from the patch of carpet she'd been studying.

"No," he said.

"Well, should Hagrid ever invite you," she said, "I suggest you politely decline, unless you actively enjoy the smell of little Buckbeaks and want to be picking bits of broken pipe out of your shoes for the rest of your days."

"Hippogriffs?"

Hermione closed her eyes and shuddered in perhaps not entirely mock-horror. "He was intending to use their tail feathers in wands," she said. "But apparently, owing to a slight miscalculation he made with their contraceptive charm, they're breeding quicker than normal and they've rather taken over the place. He tried to give me one as a pet."

"Were you tempted?"

"No," Hermione said, folding her arms huffily across her chest. "Quite apart from the fact that a randy Hippogriff- oh don't give me that look. I tried Buckbeak for Sirius- has never been especially high on my list of worldly desires, one of the little Hippogriffs bit me."

Ron laughed a little at the picture of Hermione fighting with a little Hippogriff in a room full of Hippogriffs and then when Hermione shot him a look of playful displeasure, he stepped towards her and tried to mask his amusement with a more sympathetic face. "Where?" he said.

"In the living room," she said, and then her brow creased. "At least, I think that's what it's supposed to be." Ron sniggered.

"I meant where on you," he said.

"Oh," she said, uncrossing her arms. She held out her hand, indicating the side of her index finger. "There.".

Desperately trying to keep a straight face, Ron took Hermione's hand and lifted it to his lips, covering the digit in question with gentle kisses. "Better?" he asked, and stepped closer, smiling and looking every inch the schoolboy whose mischievous plan had just come off. She let go of his hand in favour of winding her arms around his neck, and his hands found her hips.

"Much," she murmured, and he kissed her, his hands slowly sliding up her body and into her hair, making her feel every bit as warm as the fire she had created in the fireplace.

"So do you want your present?" Ron asked.

"Is this not my present?" she asked breathily cupping his neck with one hand as he trailed kisses down her neck.

"If I'd known you were this easily pleased," he said, as his teeth grazed a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, "I wouldn't have bothered fighting my way through Diagon Alley on a Saturday."

Hermione pulled away a little, and grinned. "You didn't have to get me anything,"

"'Course I did," he said. "It's your birthday."

Hermione's eyes flickered up to the ceiling as if she was thinking about saying something, but she evidently decided against it, and let him lead her over to the desk, where he up-ended his wallet, spilling its contents all over the table and worrying far too late if there was something in there he didn't want Hermione to see. She raised an eyebrow at him and then picked up one such item, a hanky with his initials carefully embroidered into one corner, surrounded by intricately stitched pink roses. She held it out in front of him, one corner pinched between her thumb and forefinger, and her eyes switched between him, and it, glittering with barely suppressed amusement.

Ron's ears turned red and he snatched it out of her fingers and tossed it onto the desk in annoyance. "It's my damn mother," he said. "She charmed all my wallets to not to leave the house if I don't have a clean hanky in them and I can't figure out how to break it." Hermione sniggered. Ron tried desperately to ignore her and the flush he could feel on his ears, focusing his attention instead on the task in hand. He rooted around the spilled contents for the gift. "I didn't really know what to get you," he said. "I talked to Ginny–"

"Let me guess," Hermione said, leaning back against the desk. "She said you should buy yourself some sexy boxers or a stripper pole and that a strip tease is the gift that keeps on giving – or something equally crass."

Ron let out a short snort of amusement as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Ever the romantic," she said. She paused for just a moment, and then raised an eyebrow at him, smiling with utterly flirtatious coyness. "I'm assuming you didn't take her advice?"

"No," he said, and then had a rather devilish idea. "Although–" He pulled his T-shirt out a little and peered down at himself, raising his eyebrows in consideration. "–The Auror training has given me pretty good muscles, so if you don't like your actual present…."

Hermione hit him playfully at which he laughed.

Eventually he found her gift nestled between a shrunken volume on covert poisoning Rachel had insisted was vital and a shrunken Chudley Cannons magazine. "Happy birthday," he said, holding the multicoloured stripy-papered gift out to her.

"Thank you," she said, grinning as she took it from him.

Hermione turned the package over and over in her hands, feeling its corners and edges, and then lifted it and gave it a shake. Ron smiled to herself. He just knew she'd want to try and figure out what it was before she opened it. It was such a Hermione-like thing to do.

Hermione considered the package in her hands, and then, having either apparently figured out what it was, or given up trying, she slid a finger under the flap of paper on the back and flicked it open.

He bit his lip, waiting for her reaction, which seemed to take an ice age to come.

It was a great picture – from Bill and Fleur's wedding. They were dancing – well, not dancing – clinging to each other and laughing as they moved through the frame, her stumbling backwards over nothing, and them both laughing harder as he righted her. She looked gorgeous in it – totally happy and at ease, and the look in her eyes…. When he'd seen the picture for the first time, he'd wondered how, that night, he could ever have doubted that she still had feelings for Krum or that they had a ninety-nine percent chance of dying.

He'd had it framed properly by a small, wiry-haired wizard in Diagon Alley, choosing a simple black card with glittering silver all over it. He'd had the date embossed on the card, although he wasn't certain Hermione was likely to forget. "I thought of a lot of things. Books, sweets...but..then Ginny had once told me that you always take out pictures first whenever you unpack and…" He saw a little smile on her face. She looked up for a second and her eyes were shining with light.

She ran her fingertips lightly over the frame, taking in its curves and angles, and then watched the picture for a moment. He watched her as intently as she was watching the picture version of them. "Thank you." It was said in a husky whisper but he heard it loud and clear.

* * *

Ron kissed her gently at first, his fingers uncurling against her neck and tickling their way into her hair, toying with the strands at her nape before making their way down and eliciting a shiver. Hermione pressed her lips more insistently to his, stretching up into his kiss with a contented sigh, and he responded by coaxing her lips apart and pressing a little more firmly.

She slid her hands around his neck and he eased her closer, kissing her more insistently, and before she'd really had time to register quite how much she apparently liked his present, he was lowering her back onto the desk.

She shifted back a bit further, hearing something slide off the desk and clatter to the floor as she planted one foot on the desk to get more comfortable. Ron eased himself gingerly on top of her, one leg hooking over hers, his hand finding her hip and settling there. His fingers lightly pressed and only exacerbated the tingles low down in her stomach that his lips were expertly producing.

His kiss was urgent and sexy, his tongue teasing hers and making her wish she could cancel their plans for the evening and stay here forever. She mumbled against his lips, only managing to get out half a sigh before he nibbled her bottom lip and made her breath hitch and the noise catch in her chest. She ran her hands down over his chest to his waist, and he moved closer, running one hand from her knee to her thigh and drawing her to him. She kissed him more intensely to assure him of her approval of his actions, and he moved away a little, clearing his throat as he kissed his way down hers, his hand amusing itself on her thigh. She whimpered and felt him smile against her skin before he pressed a kiss to it. "So you liked your present, then?" he murmured, rather breathily.

"Uh huh." Her eyelids dipped low and Ron tilted her chin in the right position so he could go down more easily-

"Merlin's Beard!"

And they broke apart, startled. Ron pulled away and looked up instinctively at the doorway, frowning at the man who was standing there covering his eyes with his hands; then he rolled his eyes. Hermione followed his gaze, finally fixing on Harry's head. He had one eyebrow raised and his hands clamped firmly over both eyes. "If I open my eyes," he asked, "am I going to see something that makes me wish I'd gone blind?"

"No," Hermione said at the same time Ron said, "Yes."

"Well, if you have finally reached a decision...I am hungry. Fleur has made some French… thing… Come down for dinner," he said and turned around removing his hands from his eyes and finally leaving them alone. Ron looked at Hermione, who seemed to be suppressing a smile.

Ron adjusted his own shirt and she straightened her jumper and her hair which had once more gone frizzy. She sighed and just whipped her wand and her hair started braiding itself.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked, as he moved around the table picking up the spilled contents of his wallet.

"Huh?" She looked dumbfounded. "Braiding my hair?"

"Leave it down..." he said, casually. Hermione looked at him, confused.

She then silently flicked her wand and went to the door. He followed, casually flicking his wand at the fire and the lights.

"Tell me that I am not in for a stripper?" she asked, moving down the stairs hand in hand with Ron.

Ron chuckled, "I vetoed the stripper."

"Thank Merlin!"

"Or the female stripper who could do amazing things with snitches."

Hermione feigned horror.

"Or the amazing werewolf, especially for Muggle witches inspired by some Twilight thing."

She laughed. Ron chuckled, not really getting the joke. She reached for the door knob, "Will it be very frightening?"

Ron just smiled at her. She stepped inside the room, and the instant Ron had closed the door quietly behind him and started to follow, there was a loud 'pop' and several fireworks whizzed straight for her, ruffling her hair as they passed. As she ducked they exploded, filling the air with red sparks, and the words 'Happy Birthday Mione!' appeared in twinkling gold letters in the air. They were both doused liberally with confetti as they passed underneath, and Hermione managed to nearly swallow several pieces as she laughed in delight. Ron patted her on the back and then laughed, trying to shake tiny pink circles, pale lemon stars and baby blue triangles out of his hair and off his shoulders. The more he tried to remove it, though, the more he seemed to attract, and by the time everyone stopped shouting, he was covered in tiny, fluttering paper fragments.

Hermione looked around the kitchen. They had certainly outdone themselves. Balloons in a variety of colours clustered together on the ceiling, and a large glass bowl of what she presumed was some kind of punch nestled in the middle of the table. It gave off a faintly worrying red glow. "About bloody time," Ginny said from the head of the table, where she was leaning back on her chair's back legs, balancing precariously. "I was beginning to wonder if I should send up a cold shower charm."

Hermione beamed at her friend and looked around at the guests who had arrived for her celebration. There was Fleur clinging to Bill's arm, both of them beaming at her. There was Harry who was moving toward her from behind Ginny and engulfed her in a hug. Then came Ginny hugging her as tightly as she could almost, lifting her a little off the ground, all the while whispering Happy birthday's in her ears.

Hermione laughed at her antics. As Ginny released her there was Percy behind her in an instant, behind him was a girl-Audrey. Hermione had seen her once only and she had definitely found the company of another Muggle woman endearing. "Percy!" She shook his hand and then gave Audrey a nod who returned it grinning. Hermione always found them odd. Percy wasn't particularly handsome while Audrey always brought a fresh air of beauty around her.

"Happy birthday..." said Audrey, engulfing her in a one-side hug.

"Thank you."

"Well, here it is," said Percy and gave her a square package wrapped in brown paper. "I know I should be more, uh… But we have to give the gift?" he said, then laughed nervously; Audrey rolled her eyes.

"It's a book. Percy said you wanted to learn cooking...And my gift, uh...It's a little bigger and heavier to pick up here-"

Percy interjected, "I said that I could put up a lightness charm-"

"Which I didn't agree to. Because it's a Muggle thing and should be given the Muggle way." Audrey glared menacingly at Percy then turned to her with a smile, "so your gift was transported upstairs to Ginny's room. She said you are staying there... So..." Audrey said and bit her lip then took her in a hug again, "Happy Birthday."

Hermione laughed, "Thanks."

"Move along! Move along! There are others!" came Charlie's voice from behind them and Percy rolled his eyes, passing her with a wink at the book at which she laughed. He moved around to join the others who were now settling themselves and having drinks.

Charlie came along with a tattered blue box. It didn't look like a gift from any angle. As Charlie's beard, she noticed the box was shaking a little.

"What is that?" Hermione frowned and looked at Ron who was now taking Percy's gift from her with a amused expression.

"Your gift," Charlie said simply. "Actually however intelligent you are, you are very forgettable."

"Huh?" Hermione asked and looked at Ron again, then at Harry. Neither of them met her eye.

"So brace yourselves," Charlie said. "Ta-da!" He opened the box. There were three kittens with puffy brown fur, black beetle eyes and black stripes on their fur. All of them looked like they were frowning at her. She was confused; they looked familiar...Very familiar and then it hit her.

She gasped and Ron chuckled. She covered her mouth in horror. How could she have forgotten!

 _Crookshanks_!

"Yeah...They are hers. The kneazle found her true love, well, second after Sirius of course," Charlie said in a very dramatic expression.

"But...Crookshanks?"

"Happily jumping on people. Actually the people in Romania are quite fond of her. She doesn't want to come back I think..."

Hermione looked back at the kittens. One of them was now struggling on another's back to get out of the box. "Really?"

"Oh yeah, she is happy!" Charlie told her, smiling.

Ron groaned. "Oh, sit down, Hermione! You are making me nervous," he said, looking at her fear filled expression.

"But, Ron!" He pulled a chair for her as she whined, "I forgot my own cat."

"And you are a human!" said Harry.

"Humans forget sometimes," Ron told her.

"And she has sent this gift for you. You can take any one or two or three. Or give them to someone..." Charlie said, tilting his head, fondly scratching one of them as they mewed at him.

Hermione finally took a deep breath and settled down. If Crookshanks was okay then it was fine, right? Right. Hermione looked at them and smiled. "Actually...I don't want any..."

"Yes!" The triumphant sigh came from behind her where Ron was standing. She rolled her eyes.

"I mean...I think...Maybe someone else would like..."

"Can I?" came a dreamy voice from behind Charlie and there came Luna smiling quirkily, eyes on the cats as she talked. "I have always wanted one."

Hermione grinned, "Sure."

And then one by one everyone came and blessed her for the next hour. Fleur and Bill said their gift was a surprise, but they also passed her a charm bracelet. When she asked what they meant, Bill kindly told her to not to wrack her brains and that the surprise was for everyone actually.

Then came Ginny with a letter from George and Angelina who very kindly informed her that they couldn't make it, and had sent a lime green jumper as her gift. Hermione knew better than to ask. It wasn't that they couldn't make it. It was that they didn't want to and she understood. Angelina perhaps was more messed up than anyone and George had taken a huge blow. It wouldn't be easy. It was never easy.

Neville came, hurriedly wished her happy birthday, and passed her a gift. He was called for some emergency in the Auror office; he didn't tell her why. Although, he did tell Harry who looked like he was was too tired and just wanted to go to bed now but he left the room with Neville. Luna brought her a blank frame which, if you tap with your wand speaking someone's name, their picture would appear in it. It was sort of a charmed album.

Hermione hugged the blonde, hardest. Luna was leaving tomorrow and even though Hermione wasn't particularly fond of her once, Luna had grown on her and she would miss her dearly.

Harry at last came back. Engulfing her in a hug, he kissed her forehead. "Happy Birthday. May you read a lot of books and solve all our problems." Hermione laughed at him.

Harry then let her down and his hands made their way to his pockets. He took out a red velvet box and looked at it with longing then looked at Ron who nodded. Hermione had seen this look before. This was the look that said 'if she breaks your neck I will find a way to fix it'.

"I will be around," said Ron and left them alone. Harry looked at the box again and sighed. Maybe it was something he didn't want to give her. But then why would he bring it? Or maybe he didn't think she would like it. Hermione placed her hand on his arm and rubbed it lightly, giving him an encouraging smile. He looked up at her.

"It was my mother's," he said and opened the box. "Sirius gave it to her when she married my father, he accepted her as a sister."

Inside was a golden bracelet. A simple golden bracelet with no designs, just some words.

 _'Veritatis et virtutis'_

It was Latin. Hermione looked up at Harry again who nodded at her and she picked it up. For a second everything dissolved around her and she was transported to a room, where a man with black hair, another with same but messy and another with dirty brown hair were hiding behind a suit of armor, laughing. And as soon as it came, it went away. Hermione looked up at Harry who smiling at her a little too knowingly for her taste. And when she turned it around. She gasped.

' _Tourjous Pur.'_

She then shook her head. It was from Sirius's family after all. "It was your mother's, Harry."

"It was."

Hermione shook her head in exasperation. "That doesn't mean-"

"It does." He looked at her with so much sincerity that Hermione had to take a deep breath as to not to launch herself into a babble. "I want to, Hermione. Accept it already."

"But, Harry, it-"

"Black family crest? You can remove it maybe. I mean me and Ron spent hours trying but we couldn't..."

"No, Harry, it's-"

"My mother's? I told you, Hermione, Sirius gave it to her when he accepted her-"

"No, Harry-" He opened his mouth again but Hermione glared at him and he shut up. "I mean, shouldn't Ginny ?...It's your mother's, I mean..."

Harry looked at her as if she had grown three heads. "Hermione...Ginny... Hermione!" he said to Hermione as if she was being ridiculous, which maybe she was. "Sirius gave it to his sister...Ginny is not my sister..."

"I meant, Harry, it belonged to your mother-"

"And Ginny chose it for you," Harry said and at once Hermione looked past his shoulders at Ginny who was talking to Charlie with a kitten in her hands and, as if sensing her, Ginny turned around and noticed her. Took a one look at her and Harry then winked before turning back.

"It's still very expensive-"

"Well, I found it on my vault so it didn't really cost me-"

"Harry!"

"Hermione!"

Ron coughed.

Hermione and Harry turned to their respective rights and left to notice him back in his position.

"My 'gifts' have arrived," he said, looking at Harry whose eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"Oh," he muttered.

"But you just-" Hermione frowned.

"That was for opening, there is another. Come. You can't open it here," he said, taking her hand in his. She turned around once again to give the bracelet back to Harry but he was...

Gone. Vanished.

She looked around, startled, when Ron pointed at her left where Harry was already throwing the now tattered box into the dustbin. She threw him a nasty glare but let Ron lead her out. She looked at the bracelet again and with a sigh, slipped it onto her wrist.

"Where are we going?" she asked, still looking at the bracelet. Not really liking the expensive thing on her wrist. It was too much for her taste.

"Out." Ron led her out of the room and she followed with a sad smile, half-wondering what her gift was and half-wondering how to give the bracelet back.

The walk from the door to the main door was not long and as they reached it, Ron pulled her forward in front of him. She looked up lazily, half-expecting to find a giant painting. But what she had not expected was them.

Her parents.

She gasped in surprise for the second time that day. Ron looked more smug than he had after his first kiss.

Her parents only smiled in affection, opening their arms for her. It had been two months; even after all this she barely had time to shower them with affection. The only time she had was the first month after the war. The bracelet forgotten along with Ron, she ran into her father's arms, squeezing him tightly. While her father swept her off the ground and gave a twirl, her mother hugged her from behind. A tear leaked out from her eyes as she stayed there sandwiched between her parents. Her vision blurred but she could make out a red haired figure retreating back to the living room, smiling at her.

She hugged her parents harder.

* * *

 ** _Beta credits- StopTalkingAtMe. Malayanamonkey 2004_**


	10. Au Revoir

_**Chapter 10**_

 _ **Au Revoir.**_

Angelina looked at the room around her, double checking everything she had set up. Although one might disagree and say that she hadn't set up anything but had merely returned everything to its previous spot. Fred's room was finally clean. His shrine was preserved.

She had to clean because George couldn't bring himself to. The thought of Fred not being here was just unacceptable to him. Angelina shook her head. She'd had enough epiphanies about Fred. She had spent days thinking about him, cherishing all the memories he had given her, gripping onto them so hard, because she didn't want to forget anything. And when she thought about Fred, her thoughts instantly moved towards George.

She had hardly seen them apart, always together in every class, and despite their mayhem and showing no mercy to anyone, they were loved. Now one of them was dead and the other was out there talking to his grave. She hadn't ever seen this coming. The grief had eaten her and she was yet to face the world. George had held her in place. She wasn't sure if they were friends now though. They were two steps closer than she thought they would be, although to what, she was not quite sure, because every time she thought she'd got him pegged, what they are to each other, the answer drifted through her fingers like smoke.

It wasn't just George, who was sometimes cautious around her, who seemed to be weighing every word, every gesture, as if he was being careful not to make a mistake; it was her too, the way she did the same in response because she wasn't quite sure of him, of herself, of what they'd be together.

Friends or more, not that at all–

It was a dance, of sorts, two steps forward, one step back, side, together, side – only sometimes she wondered if either of them was leading, or knew where they were going at all.

These last few months she'd felt as if they were hovering on the brink of something, perilously close to teetering into togetherness, because sometimes he flirted with her, his words and gestures loaded with the promise of something more, a glint of hopeful longing in his eyes. She was never certain, though – not sure enough to make a move herself, because sometimes the longing flickered and then was gone, and other times he was distant, afraid he'd said too much, when in fact it was the opposite and he hadn't said nearly enough.

He hardly talked these days, except to Fred's grave or herself and sometimes Lee. His family visited daily and yet he was always unable to talk to them. Maintaining eye contact with them was near to impossible. Angelina understood though; she had been doing the same thing. The shop had become their home, their hiding place. They hardly ever left it.

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and smiled. George was due home soon. He took a hour daily to talk to Fred, to his grave. If it was up to him he would have taken the whole day but Bill had threatened to drag him to St. Mungo's if he did.

The bell at the entrance of the shop chimed and Angelina hurriedly closed the door to Fred's room and went out to greet him. He was hanging his coat on the peg when she finally came out. She was on the balcony and it gave her a good view of him. He looked extra sad today. It was almost new to see him sad, a emotion she hadn't been able to see on him in her Hogwarts years.

"What happened?" she asked at once.

He looked up and waved a letter. "Hermione's birthday. Family party and a special note from Bill to be there no matter what." He sighed heavily and shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder why they even try..."

Angelina pursed her lips. She wasn't sure if she should interfere in a family matter, but she had a say in George's matters. "You should go, shouldn't you?"

He sighed and sat on the stairs with his back to her. He didn't say anything for a long time and nor did she. The days had gone by like this sometimes, with him grieving on the staircase and her sitting on the balcony watching him. It wasn't new and they didn't need to fill the silence.

* * *

 **20th September.**

The chill morning air made her skirt flutter. She breathed in the smell, although she wasn't really sure that air had a odour. She could just feel the nature. The day was a cloudy one. No birds chirping, no ghouls making noise; in fact it was almost a surprise for Luna to find the Burrow so silent.

But she guessed it was natural. Hermione's birthday party had lasted nearly the whole night. The room was still dark as the other two roommates of her were still sleeping and she could only open the window slightly so as to not disturb her friends' comfortable slumber. The room was filled with Ginny's frequent snores and Hermione's sniffs when her hair made contact with her nose.

Hermione was still in jeans. She had just fallen on the bed and gone off at three am. Ginny had managed to change into pyjamas, around two. Luna knew both of them would be complaining about the lack of sleep in the morning with large black bags under their eyes and Luna wanted them to sleep in as late as possible.

Luna was ready to leave. She was thrilled thinking about it. Going on adventures, looking for every animal she thought she might find. The thought alone made her drool. Being Newt Scamander's assistant was something she'd wanted for a long time. Not the assistant part, no. She just wanted to work with Newt. His theories, his knowledge, his methods enamored her no end. She wanted to learn. She had a thirst for his knowledge which had not subsided in eighteen years of her life, making her choose beasts over a stable internship at the ministry.

Luna sighed. She felt sad about leaving her friends so soon. The thoughts of war had just subsided; everyone had just started to get back to normal. Hermione had just started to have fewer nightmares, Ron was finally trying to move his right hand up properly, Harry had just gained enough trust in himself to accept generosity, Ginny had just been able to look at the Weasley clock without crying for her brother's missing hand. It was all so soon and yet it was now or never.

Luna sighed heavily again and turned around to look at her friends.

It was going to be all right.

Soon she had bathed and was ready to leave the Weasley household for her journey towards the world. To everything she hadn't seen, to everything she hadn't yet dreamed of and to everything she was yet to discover. But there were some people she wanted to say goodbye to first.

Luna tucked her hands in her jeans' pockets and apparated from just outside the Burrow. Soon she found herself at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, not far from Hagrid's hut. It was seven in the morning and she hoped that no one would get too worried because she'd suddenly gone missing. She just couldn't leave without saying goodbye.

Luna hurried into the Forbidden Forest, all by herself. She counted her steps towards the core of the forest where she knew that Thestrals liked to stay for most of the day. She recognized every leaf, every tree branch and most certainly she could still trace her steps along the trail. She had followed this narrow path, between the flourishing bushes, so many times that now that she was about to do it for the last time, she felt like lingering more, steadily dragging her feet along the path.

She walked slowly and yet she felt she was walking too steadily. After all she didn't want to go away. She walked to the core of the forest, watching everything, as determined as ever to not forget anything. She wanted to remember everything fifty years from now, when she was sitting in a rocking chair playing with dozens of cats and children of her own and reading books regarding magical beasts which she had written herself.

When the chilly December air would banish her grandchildren inside, she wanted to be able to tell them the stories of her escapades. If one day the Forbidden Forest didn't remain the same when she wanted to escape again at least she would have it in her memory. She would remember the beautiful flowers blossoming in the bushes, the odd, yet most interesting Thestrals and would recall all those times she had ventured inside the Forbidden Forest to go looking for something that couldn't possibly be found between the branches of a tree.

And then she would remember her friends. Those fiery red locks of Ginny's when wind passed through them, the tall frame of Ron when he stood at the end of the line, the round glasses and messy mop of Harry's hair, the glowing smile of Neville when Professor Sprout complimented him on his gardening skills, even Hermione's bossy voice. Even if some of them were be dead or bald or old, their memories would still stay with her till the end. The time they had passed together. The lives they had lived together. Everything would still be as vivid and clear as it was now. The memories shouldn't fade away; she had to make sure of that.

She turned left, and as the chillness of the dark forest pierced her body to the bones she remembered all those times in which she had walked, barefoot despite the cold outside, because her mates had hidden all her shoes. Nobody ever did that nowadays, and somehow Luna missed that.

She reached for her flat shoes and removed them from her feet. And as she felt the agreeable sensation of dirt dabbing between her toes she continued her journey, every now and then hopping happily, her hand clutching the shoes while the other one placed the wand behind her ear. The grass felt soft on her feet and as she saw the familiar golden tail behind a row of bushes, she skipped away to them and took out a piece of meat from her backpack, only to find that the Thestral was already eating another fresh piece of meat.

She knew she wasn't the one to throw it because her piece was still in her hand. She turned around to find Ron, Neville, Harry, Ginny and Hermione, all of them still bleary eyed in the clothes from the previous night or in pyjamas, dark circles under their eyes with hair flying in every direction. They smiled and flanked her.

Luna sighed. Not long ago everyone had hushed her on this topic because they couldn't see them. Now that all of them had seen death and were still grieving, they could see them clearly. It was a bridge between them and their grief. The Thestrals were a sign of the grief. But awkwardly enough, the sight of the animals brought sadness to none of them, but rather happiness, because it reminded them of just how many wonderful people had died bravely, so that they could get to live another day…so that they got to sit there today welcoming a brand new life, a better one… It connected them to their late friends, to their lost relatives and even to some people that they had never met.

The Thestrals were the living proof of their grief, of their incomplete heart and above all things of their unrelenting thankfulness to all those who had perished so bravely, fighting the experienced Death Eaters, in their quest for liberty… the liberty that they no longer enjoyed on earth, but the one they had granted to Harry and his friends.

Luna wished that wherever they were, they were happy. And at last when she looked back at her friends, all of them gave her strength to go forward in her path and lead herself to her dreams.

Friends, she felt lucky to have them as her friends.

* * *

When they all returned back from their adventure in the Forbidden Forest and when Luna had left for her journey towards the world, they found the odd sight of Bill all ready and making breakfast.

Bill never made breakfast. He hated the kitchen. He was allergic to the kitchen in some way.

"Bugger," Ron said, wide eyed, as they all stepped in behind him. Bill turned around with a bemused expression and a broken shell of a egg. "Who died? Who are you? Did Voldyshorts came back or something and knock you with an Imperious?" Ron dramatically said all this and sat in the chair at the dining table. Bill rolled his eyes and Ginny swatted Ron's arm.

"So...Are you trying to kill us with poison? Because if you are, then I would like to die from a cheese omelet," Ginny asked, mockingly uncertain. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks.

Bill sighed heavily. "I have an announcement to make. I am extremely nervous and I didn't know what to do with my hands," he said, staring up at the ceiling, looking troubled.

"What is it?" asked Ron. Bill grunted, frustrated.

"Merlin! Ronald! You can't just go and ask 'what is it?'" Hermione frowned at him and he in return just shrugged.

"Let them all come down first. I want to be done with it." Bill turned around. He was tall, freckled, red haired and gangly like every other Weasley. Yet there was a air of maturity around him that no one else had in the house, except maybe Mr. Weasley but even he was a little on the fun side. Today Bill looked like he was wrecked.

"Come, sit," Ginny told him after a yawn, patting the chair beside her. He did so, grudgingly.

"Mum is gonna freak out," Bill said and then looked up at Ron. "You will hold her, won't you?"

Ron looked flabbergasted. "You are not dying or anything are you...? Because if you are going to die tomorrow and you are telling us all this to apologise for your sins, I am just gonna let Mum maul you to death with tears."

Bill narrowed his eyes. "When did you become such a wordsmith?" Ron shrugged. Bill slumped back in his chair. "No, I am not dying."

That's when they heard someone else come down the stairs and stumble a little over the last step, nearly knocking into Harry. The woman who had stumbled was now gripping the back of Harry's chair. Her hair was all over her face until she straightened up and announced, "I feel like shit." Harry happily gave his chair and settled behind Ron. Audrey was still rubbing her eyes when she asked, "Why are you all up so early?"

"Luna left today. We had to say goodbye," Hermione told her, suppressing a yawn.

"Huh?" Audrey asked, looking up. "Oh, the blonde? Where did she go? What train did she catch at this time?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion then she propped herself up on her elbow, her face in her hands. She chuckled. "Right. Yeah. Forgot. You wizards can just pop out anywhere."

Hermione giggled. "As a matter of fact, Luna took a bus, a magical bus, for her journey. Gives time to think about all she is going through."

Audrey just smiled pleasantly.

"So why are you up so early?" asked Ron.

"Have to visit Grandma today," Audrey said, "so I am just trying to wake myself up here." She yawned again. "Whatever did I drink last night... Sure gave me a headache."

"Firewhiskey." Ron laughed. "It was good, wasn't it?"

Audrey giggled. "Oh, definitely."

That's when they heard a knock on the door. Audrey got up to open the door. The door opened with a creak, but no one came in and Audrey looked bemused.

"Uh...Excuse me?" came a low, confused voice. "This is...the Burrow?"

"It is and you are...?" Audrey leaned on the doorframe, inquisitively. She narrowed her eyes at whoever was at the door. "Let me see. Red hair, freckled, gangly and blue eyed. Hmm hmm." She nodded to herself while tapping her chin with her index finger. "You must belong here." And then without warning she dragged whoever it was inside and asked loudly if they knew him.

And indeed they did.

It was George who had just been dragged inside by his scarf and was coughing now. As soon as he straightened up and opened his eyes, a punch came flying at his face, not giving him enough time to recover. It hit him square in the eye. He staggered backwards in pain and heard chairs being pushed aside.

Harry had a menacing, thrashing, very _very_ angry looking Ginny in his arms, while she yelled, "YOU GIT!" at the top of her lungs. Ron was beside George in a moment, supporting him. Bill stood between the two to prevent a fight, if he could. Hermione was also bent down behind George now, muttering some spell at the hit he received, which would probably be a black eye soon.

"I can't believe he has the nerve to show up like this! Git! Do you know how many times I have come to your home and found from Angelina that you didn't want to talk? No messages! No visits! Nothing for three months! And he has the nerve to show up at the door of my house-" Ginny was shouting everything at him. She was angry, rambling and hyperventilating, red on the face. Harry took advantage of his height and hauled her away from George, shielding her from George's face or more importantly George from her.

George stood up not two minutes later after Ginny went into a rambling trance. He looked older than his age and without a ear and his smile, it made him look more pitiful than they had ever seen. He looked strangely...hollow. The commotion must have disturbed the sleeping people because they all came running down the stairs at once, making a sound like elephants were running through the house.

Percy came first and went slack after he saw George and then the rambling Ginny. Fleur came next and at once squealed then ran to George to hug him. Although he was younger, he was still taller than her, and he patted her head affectionately with a small smile. Charlie smiled so broadly that no one could match his smile and then came his father, looking grim. His mother burst into tears at once and hugged him more tightly than ever. George hugged her back as she sobbed into his shirt and everyone went silent. Even Ginny stopped rambling as Mrs. Weasley broke apart in her son's embrace. And after all why wouldn't she? She had fought the war for hope and good. she had fought for her family and yet her family had fallen apart. She hadn't been able to see her son in forever.

No matter how much they said that he was healing in his own way from the war, just that he was doing if differently and he prefered being alone rather than with his family, a mother just couldn't watch a part of her like this. She sobbed, sobbed and sobbed hard until she felt her own child's tears on her forehead...

And then she cried harder.

* * *

After some time when everyone had finally made amends with George and Mrs. Weasley had recovered from her hysterics, they all settled at the breakfast table. Ginny glared at George, deliberately taking a chair across him to do this. Mrs. Weasley was suddenly excited to make George's favourite breakfast. It made Harry smile a little. The family he had come to accept as his own finally looked complete.

"So...How did Percy rope you into this relationship? Is he blackmailing you? Did he use magic on you?" George asked in all his seriousness, munching on a slice of buttered toast. He waggled his eyebrows at Audrey. She giggled.

"Oh yeah," she said, nodding solemnly. "My family is being held hostage. You will save me, won't you?" she whispered at him, not so subtly which made Percy snort. George had found Percy-Mr. Bore's relationship with the sparky Audrey funny. Very very funny. He couldn't believe that Percy would be able to get a girl ever, especially one like Audrey. She wasn't a model, no. She was that next door, natural beauty that made you bear hug her every time you saw her. Percy the Dork with Audrey the bear hugger? Nope. He couldn't believe that.

"So what do you do?" Harry asked, casually.

"Oh, I have a internship in Fashion and Clothing right now and I work part time at my Grandma's coffee shop," she replied, smiling pleasantly.

"Ohhh, really? So Audrey do you know what a fellytone is?" Mr. Weasley asked excitedly. "I have always been fascinated with them. The wires and everything. How do they work?" Mrs. Weasley grunted and cleared her throat. "Or perhaps you could tell me later?" Mr. Weasley, faster than a rocket out of bottle, opened his newspaper and shut up. Fleur started laughing hard. Harder than any of them at this behavior.

Mrs. Weasley sighed, placing a plate of omelet in front of Audrey. "He gets a little excited around Muggles. Don't mind him." Mr. Weasley frowned and Audrey looked between them and smiled.

"Oh, I do not! You know we could fix a meeting. I will tell you about 'Muggles' and you can tell me about wizards," she told Mr. Weasley, who beamed back at her. "And we can always take a table at my grandma's cafe."

"Sounds like a plan," Ginny muttered with a mouthful of eggs.

Someone coughed and they all turned around to find Bill standing in the middle of the room swinging his arms awkwardly and Fleur behind him covering her giggles with her hands, which wasn't really working.

"So..." he said very loudly, still swinging his arms awkwardly. "It's a nice day, ain't it?"

Mrs. Weasley frowned. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Yeah yeah.. I am? I am..." Bill said lazily. Fleur clutched her stomach laughing hard.

"What is it?" Charlie asked.

Bill turned red, not a blushing red, a nervous red. Full on tomato. "I am pregnant," he announced.

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing. Ron looked at him and then at his stomach, stupidly.

"What he means is I," Fleur said from behind him, pointing at herself. "I am pregnant."

* * *

 ** _beta credits- StopTalkingAtMe._**


	11. A Godric's Holloween

_**Chapter 11**_

 _ **A Godric's Holloween**_

 _ **31st October.**_

The breeze flowing through Godric's Hollow was warm and fresh. Everyone was happy tonight. There were children running here and there, chasing each other, knocking at every door for sweets. There were women following their children from a safe distance, laughing at their antics; the children considered themselves 'big' now, and didn't want their mummies following them. It was jolly around here. It was warm.

Harry didn't feel the same. He glanced out of the window and then turned back, his eyes going towards his own hands which held a red, thick piece of fabric. It was a blanket. It was his blanket. It was the only thing he had from both of his parents. The house had been rebuilt, the Marauders' map was from the Marauders and memories didn't count.

He clutched the blanket to his chest. _Should he visit them?_

He glanced out of the window at the far away building. It was the church where his parents had been buried, so, so near to him. Should he visit? He wasn't sure what he would do if he did. Should he talk? Should he take flowers? Should he just...sit? What did you do at your parents' graves? He didn't wanted to cry like last time. It ended up pretty badly.

He sighed again and chewed the inside of his cheek. His eyes darted towards the far corner of the empty room. Apparently, this was his nursery. There were patterns he had made. There was one pattern in different colors. One handprint was his own; it was little, the size of Teddy's fists. The other was a little thin but big, it was his mother's and there was a big one, definitely his father's. Then there were his drawings. Weird drawings he had made when he was one year old. Some twigs from a broken broom, of Sirius's maybe. A giant book of nursery rhymes, definitely from Lupin. It had so many memories. Memories that should have been his own and yet he couldn't remember them.

"Mr. Potter!" Andromeda called for him from downstairs, always formal, that woman. Andromeda didn't like him much. Harry didn't knew why but it was most likely because he hadn't let her leave on her own, return to her own house. How could he? He had promised Lupin to keep Teddy safe and Harry's house was the safest place. He didn't want to take a chance after that incident three months ago.

He had done so by bribing Mrs. Weasley into talking Andromeda into living with Harry until Teddy was of a reasonable age. Andromeda had grudgingly agreed. Yet he knew very clearly that he wasn't in her good graces. She made him food but there was no conversation at the dining table. Harry made a special effort to come home and have dinner with Andromeda in silence. Well, for one, if he planned to marry Ginny someday, he didn't want to be known as the guy who lived off his in laws. And besides he didn't like the thought of Andromeda eating alone with Teddy in the house.

Harry was downstairs within moments. It was a strange sight to see Bellatrix looking graceful and bemused. Of course Andromeda was not Bellatrix but Harry couldn't deny Andromeda looked a lot like her. He had once screamed at Andromeda, nearly hexed her in the middle of the night. They had both woken up and gone for a drink of water at the same time. He had blamed it on his still being half-asleep, but Andromeda had given him the cold shoulder since them. He guessed it was all right. Woman were sensitive about their looks, weren't they?

"There is some girl at the door..." Andromeda said, puzzled, pointing behind herself as if waiting for a monster to walk in soon, "She is wearing this long pointy hat and a floaty dress, with her hair in a bun and wings behind her. She knocked on the door, I opened, she danced in front of me... I meant she just turned around in a circle once with a smile and then said 'Trick or treat!" then she handed me a basket and looked at me with those huge eyes and when I didn't do anything she started to cry-"

"Calm down! Calm down!" Harry told her. Andromeda was looking fearfully at the door and then she turned towards Harry, put both her hands on her waist and huffed. It was the pose Mrs. Weasley adopted when she was about to glare someone to death. Harry didn't want to be glared to death and so he thought fast.

"Why is she dancing at the door? Why is she crying? I swear I didn't say anything-"

"She wants sweets,"Harry told her as calmly as possible. After all he really didn't want Bellatrix's nice twin to glare him to death. "It's a tradition with Muggles on Halloween." He silently accioed some sweets from the kitchen and moved towards the door where the girl was standing and dropped a full fist of sweets into her basket. She beamed at him and did the little dance again then left.

"She...Just wanted sweets?" Andromeda asked curiously. Harry was surprised, Andromeda didn't have small talk with him. It was weird and he didn't want the moment to slip away.

"Yeah, it's a Muggle tradition to dress like something from the other world and then go from door to door and get sweets for-" Andromeda was just looking like she might crack a smile but then someone screamed bloody murder.

Well, not exactly bloody murder, but it was a close call. Teddy was crying like there was no tomorrow. Harry sighed as Andromeda went to pick him up. He looked back at the open door behind him.

He should visit...

"Now that I remember correctly...Ted used to dress up Dora and take her out on these evenings..." Andromeda's voice floated towards him from the living room and he turned back towards his house. He closed the door and went to the living room, where Andromeda was walking with Teddy in her arms, humming lightly. Harry didn't know if he should sit or stay standing up. "Later we shifted back in the wizarding world but Dora used to love it. Her favorite was to dress up like that weird man from that weird band..." Andromeda scrunched up her nose in disgust. Harry understood what she was talking about.

"Weird sisters..." Harry smiled. "I heard from Ginny. She loved Weird Sisters."

"Yes! But I do not know why that band is named Weird Sisters when all the members are boys? Teenagers..."

Harry chuckled and sat on the chair near the fire.

The silence claimed the scenario again, only disturbed by Teddy's frequent burps. There was another knock at the door and this time Andromeda went to give the sweets saying Ted would always do it.

And that's when Harry decided that he would take Andromeda and Teddy to dinner. If Mr. Tonks used to do that too then it wwould be great for him and maybe he could have some small talk at the dinner table after that. What a reward.

But how should he ask her out to dinner?

"You know, I am thinking I should do it too." Andromeda was beaming at him from the doorway of the living room, standing in the hall. "I mean, we should dress Teddy up on his first Halloween." She then went to answer the door again. Harry himself could hear Teddy babbling something and he went to check what was the hall Harry found Teddy clapping happily at a little kid dressed as a lion. The kid roared at Teddy and he laughed harder. His hair turned electric blue at this. The kid stopped roaring and Harry started panicking and Andromeda started stammering.

Harry wasn't good at obliviating.

The kid looked dumbly at Teddy. "His hair changed color."

Harry decided playing dumb was his only option, his best option. "What?"

The kid looked up. "His hair changed color..."

"Huh...?" Harry asked, cluelessly. "You mean this?" He pointed at Teddy's head. "It's an advanced Halloween wig. We bought it from a famous... foreign...hair maker." Harry chided himself. _Hair maker? Really?_

The kid seemed to buy it though. Because he grinned and Andromeda dumped the whole lot of the bowl of sweets in his basket. Harry assumed she meant it as a bribe, so the kid wouldn't blabber about it out loud. The kid left and Teddy started crawling towards the door when Harry grabbed him in his arms so the toddler wouldn't crawl out.

"Do you..." Harry asked as Teddy tried to punch his spectacles.

"Do I?" Dromeda asked.

"Um...I mean..." He gulped. "Wouldyouliketogooutfordinner?" Harry turned around and practically ran into the living room. Her presence was intimidating. Harry didn't knew how she managed it but she always was intimidating.

Andromeda looked at him dumbly for a second. Perhaps weighing the options, perhaps trying to remember a hex or perhaps trying to understand his vocabulary. It was the latter he hoped for.

"What?" she asked.

"Would you..." Harry said but the words almost didn't come out. "Would you like to go out for dinner perhaps?"

"Are you asking me out?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

Harry went white and then red.

"You are all blotchy," Andromeda said, squinting at him. "I should tell you, Potter, I am not into young men and you have a girlfriend."

Harry was sure he was red as a Weasley because Teddy had just turned his face red, looking at Harry. Teddy had a bad habit of looking like the person who was holding him. "No...I mean...its...I..."

And then Andromeda walked towards him. Harry backed away a step. Andromeda walked towards him. He backed away one more step. Andromeda took another step towards him. He backed away and fell into the chair. Andromeda took Teddy from him.

"Go get ready then," she said and left the room. Harry stared at the door.

"Bloody hell."

The dinner went smoothly. Andromeda wore a casual black gown, paired with a black coat and flats. Harry decided on shirt and pants. The best of them though was Teddy, dressed as a little lion. He was giggling in his arms all the time.

Harry decided that a Muggle restaurant would be a good choice considering he was usually hauled off for autographs in a wizarding hotel.

They couldn't apparate because of Teddy and thus Harry decided to introduce Andromeda to trains. Andromeda didn't like trains, as they made her dizzy and very angry.

"Are we taking the train again, Potter?" she asked casually. Harry was patting Teddy just now, encouraging him to burp, when she asked that.

"Yeah...Or we could floo. We are not far from the Leaky Cauldron, "he told her and as soon as she nodded there was a little squeal coming from his right. For a minute he was worried that there was another fan but no, when he turned around, it was a old woman looking at him, horrified. He glanced at Andromeda who looked bemused herself.

"You!" she pointed a finger at Harry and then at Andromeda. "How could you do this to a child?" she practically growled.

Harry didn't understand what she was saying until Andromeda moved behind him and pulled Teddy's hood back up in. It had fallen a little, showing his lime green colored hair. Harry looked back at the woman.

She glared menacingly. "Now Now! You don't try to hide it, woman! Can't believe a woman your age would let him dye the hair of such a young child! He is just a little bundle and you dyed his hair!"

Harry stared wide eyed at the woman, ever ready to make a excuse until Andromeda blurted out, "So? None of your business."

"None of my business!" The woman made a sort of strangled noise. "I am a responsible citizen, who knows what you are doing to this child? Dying his hair- Oh my god! You are doing black magic on him! Aren't you?" she snarled. "Just you wait! I have to call the policeman here!" And with that the woman turned around, squinting through the big round glasses perched on her nose. She saw a police car just two houses away and called for it.

Harry grabbed Andromeda's arm and steered her left, then ran. He could hear the woman pointing at him and the officer's car following them now. Harry urged for Andromeda to run faster.

"What's happening, Potter?" she asked, breathlessly. Harry noticed she was running fast for her age.

"Those...are...Muggle... Aurors...Run!" he said, breathlessly, trying to match her speed. There was a scary glint in her eye when she dragged him inside a dark alley.

"We can't apparate?" he asked, forgetting that he had taken a train in the moment of panic.

"No, not with Teddy."

The sound of the siren told him they were near.

"It's about time you used your name for something," she said as she pushed Harry behind her and stupefied the incoming officers, knocked them off with their own sticks and then dragged him with her before he could say that no magic was allowed in this area.

He knew where Tonks's Auror integrity came from, now.

By the time they reached the train station, Harry was sweating nervously but Andromeda was laughing soundly and Teddy was sleeping peacefully. Nothing scared Blacks. Harry thought of Sirius entering Hogwarts right under Dumbledore's nose. Nothing scared them.

Godric's Hollow still looked warm when they reached it. There were fewer children though as it was getting late. Andromeda was smiling. Harry took it as a sign that he had done well. His legs slowed down as they reached the church. He wanted to go in. He knew what he should do now. His head felt lighter now with so much running, talking and dinner; basically with the pleasant mood.

"Mrs. Tonks, could you take Teddy home yourself? I have something to do."

Andromeda looked at him and then at the church. She chuckled. "You should have gone early." She took Teddy from him and then left.

Harry took a deep breath. First he saw the war memorial. His father, mother and himself in his mother's arms.

Harry drew closer, gazing up into his parents' faces. How strange it was to see himself represented in stone, a happy baby without a scar on his forehead. His mother looking at him with love and his father doing the same from behind her. It looked like a happy family. Harry wondered if he would get that again. Not far from them was another statue. Of himself, Hermione and Ron. Hermione with a book and Ron with a wand, while Harry stood in the middle staring ahead.

When he had his fill of looking, he turned again toward the church. As he crossed the road, he glanced over his shoulder; the statue had turned back into the war memorial.

The church was silent. It made Harry's throat constrict. Harry passed the kissing gate and walked in. For some reason, he drew a wreath of Christmas roses on Kendra and Ariana's graves, suspecting no one would do it. Did Aberforth ever visit them?

He moved deeper, feeling as if something heavy were pressing on his chest, the same sensation he'd had right after the battle of Hogwarts and when Dumbledore had died, a grief that had actually weighed on his heart and lungs.

The headstone was only two rows behind Kendra and Ariana's. It was made of white marble, just like Dumbledore's tomb, and this made it easy to read, as it seemed to shine in the dark. Harry did not need to kneel or even approach very close to it to make out the words engraved upon it.

JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER

BORN 27 MARCH 1960 BORN 30 JANUARY 1960

DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981 DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

"I hope you have." His words came out as a ragged whisper. His throat closed and a tear fell from his eyes to his cheeks and ran down his neck. He did not wipe it away. He sat down at the grass in front of their graves. "I have never come here to visit you...The last time shouldn't count... Brought Nagini with me that time..." He wiped his face with his hands and stretched his fingers.

"I didn't know you were here. I actually never thought that you would have a grave. I can't believe I never thought to visit you before. But see, I am here..." A small chuckle left his lips, it sounded more like he was being strangled. "I am sorry I didn't came earlier. I was...scared. I didn't know what to do... I have so much to tell you...

"Voldemort is dead. You would know that now, wouldn't you? I have acquired a new title of The-Boy-who-lived-twice. Did you know that I joined the Aurors? Kingsley said I was fit for it. There are so many things happening now. I don't know where to start... Are you proud that I am an Auror?" He looked up at the tombstone. He imagined his mother frowning like Mrs. Weasley at him for taking this career. His eyes prickled with tears as he acknowledged that he didn't even know what his mother would look like when she frowned. He removed his specs and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his coat. His breath hitched. The rambling didn't stop. The words tumbled out of his mouth without thinking.

"Mrs. Weasley doesn't like it much, says it's a dangerous position. She screamed at Kingsley when he accepted me and Ron in the program right after the war. Gave him a real fright. He has put a alarm bell in so if she comes in the ministry again, he knows instantly and leaves his office if she heads that way.

"I have rebuilt the house, I found patterns in there...Hand prints... Aunt Petunia gave me a blanket. Do you know it's the only thing I have from you? I wish I could find more.

"The highlight this summer is that I didn't live at the Dursleys'..." He stopped for a breath. "I think I am in love too...Do you know Ginny? Ron's sister? She has red hair like you but she swears like a sailor. She keeps me on my toes too...Did you know her brother died in that battle? I think it's my fault...If I had given up early...If I hadn't involved him...I am scared to get too involved with them...With Ginny...What if I mess up again? " He wiped his hands on his pants. They were getting sweaty. Harry felt nervous; he wasn't rambling too much, was he?

"What if she wakes up on day and realizes it was all my fault? She says it isn't...But what if she thinks so in some corner of her brain and is afraid to tell me?" He rubbed his eyes again. "George is like a zombie sometimes... Without Fred... I dunno who to tell all this to. Hermione is at Hogwarts. Ron sometimes talks...He still can't move his right hand properly... But he has a family to support...He says it's my family too. I can't thank him enough...Fleur is having a baby soon...A daughter... Fleur says I am going to be a uncle next year and I should stop being such a tight arse and accept the family...She said it in correct English...Bill says it's her pregnancy hormones...

"It feels empty without Fred. Am I being stupid saying I miss him more than you? I miss you a lot...But he was here...And now he isn't. I don't remember you, but my head is full of memories of him..." As the wind passed his face, his tears felt cold on his skin.

"I know you will know him if you are in the afterlife, if there is an afterlife...Keep him good, he is a reckless moron. Tell him Ron sometimes hears him in his head saying that if us blokes missed him too much he would insist we are all gay or something...

"But Ron cries himself to sleep sometimes you know? He misses him. If Fred has such an impact on Ron, I don't want to know how George is doing. Hermione screams in her sleep...I have nightmares of Voldemort coming back. Ron calls him Voldy Shorts... Says it helps his nightmares look funny. Like Professor Lupin's boggart lesson.

"How's Professor Lupin? I took Teddy and Andromeda out to dinner today. Tell Sirius I am positive that insanity runs in his family. Andromeda knocked a Muggle policeman down and told me to use my name to get clear of the ministry. Tell Tonks that Teddy was dressed up as a lion, I swear Andromeda did that. I will try to dress him up as a badger next but he doesn't listen to me much. He wails and wails and then punches my glasses. He is a cute little guy, tell Remus I will never forget to tell him about him. He loves his and Tonks' photo in his nursery, occasionally turns pink looking at Dora, can't quite manage the brown, his hair color changes every second." Harry could feel the tears coming. His eyes were already prickling.

"How are you doing, I wonder? I try to imagine you. I can't." His voice was muffled by his own sobs this time. "I want a home. I want my own home. I don't have it. Why did all this have to happen? I can't...I am exhausted...I want a home...I want you back...Please?" He broke down. The tears were going down freely this time. There were hardly any words to describe how he felt. One could only know if they had been deprived of parents. The pain ate him from the inside. The doctors were never going to be able to heal it. The pain never stopped, but he hoped it would heal. He should control his tears

For now, he let them fall. He let them control him. He let his pain out. He broke down. There was no one to see his vulnerable side and he took advantage of it.

Eventually when it was past midnight he stood up and spoke again, drawing a wreath of flowers on the tombstone.

"I miss you. I love you. You would have been the best parents...If you were...Alive...But I hope that one day I will meet you...I will"

And then he left. In hopes and in tears, he went forward. 


	12. The Clock Had Struck

_**Chapter 13**_

 _ **The Clock Had Struck.**_

 _ **13th December.**_

"This is still awfully risky, Harry," the ex-Auror, now MOM said quietly looking at the plan Harry had just revealed. "A lot of good people might end up in Azkaban if this fails." Fate had finally favoured them. Fortune had been on their side. They finally had accurate information on the Death Eaters. Death Eaters had been a thorn on their side for a long time now and finally the clock had struck. Harry was plainly nervous about this.

"A lot of good people are already in his hands," Neville pointed out. Harry noticed Neville wasn't particularly pleased.

"True. But all the same…just be careful. I will ask some other Aurors to join you in this mission as your superiors." Kingsley sighed.

"We will," Harry assured him.

"Aside from Azkaban, there is another topic we have not yet resolved," Neville suddenly said, making Harry's head turn. To his surprise, Neville was looking directly at him.

"And that is?" he asked, since no one else seemed willing to.

"The Lestranges."

Harry felt his eyes narrow, but Kingsley answered before he could speak. "I believe, Auror Longbottom, that we have already discussed this."

Neville ignored the warning in Kingsley's voice and kept his dark eyes focused on Harry. "I have done some research into it. The raid tomorrow which Ron is going to lead into Grimmauld Place might be successful if-"

"No," Kingsley replied. Neville frowned. "You are not going after the Lestranges, Longbottom."

"And why not?" Neville responded flatly.

"I can't allow you to be emotional in this, Neville. Aurors are not supposed to be emotional." Kingsley sighed.

Before Neville could answer angrily, Ron spoke up. "How do we hold them exactly?"

"The impression I get," Turpin said before Neville or Kingsley could answer, "is that you want to lead an outright battle and hole them up in Grimmauld Place?"

"She means that it is a idiotic move," Harry interjected. "And there is no guarantee."

Ron's response was rather quiet. "I see."

"My point is that we cannot afford the chance to let them go," Neville continued coolly. "Either intentionally or not."

"So I suppose that you want to leave Azkaban and go on a killing spree just because of an old grudge with the Lestranges?" Harry demanded.

Neville sneered. "They are not your parents, Potter. They are alive and yet they don't even recognize me." Over the days Neville's grudge, due to too many failed raids, had began to crawl under his skin and Harry's too. Neville needed the Lestranges to be captured and Harry understood why but it was interfering with Neville's work.

"If you want to talk about grudges, Nev, let's not forget what your job is," Harry retorted, making Neville color. "You chose the Aurors in full knowledge that we are going after the Lestranges and your grudges are getting in the way."

"I think that I have proved my work beyond doubt—"

"And I haven't?" Harry cut him off. "Don't you think every time I see one of them I remember my parents grave, I remember Sirius? Do I want to capture them? Yes. But I have to work according to my department and not lose the people I have just found."

Neville growled.

"That's enough." Kingsley put his hand down. "The missions have been given. No more discussions on it. Dismissed."

They both grudgingly left.

* * *

"Everything ready?"

The half moon was glistening on the water, and waves were lapping gently against the yacht's sides. Aside from that sound, it was a quiet night. Over a month of planning had gone into this mission, which made secrecy extremely important and crucial to success. Even Ron hadn't known that they were going in until barely an hour before, but Harry himself had been preparing for weeks.

Standing on the bridge, Harry could barely hear the soft footsteps of the Aurors as they made their way on board, and had been convinced that he was quite alone until the unfamiliar voice spoke from behind him. He jumped.

"Yes," he replied, turning and looking into the blue eyes of a wizard he did know. "Must you creep up on people?"

Ron grinned, holding out a hand. He wore Auror's robes, which helped him to blend into the rapidly darkening night.

Harry took it after a moment's hesitation, chiding himself that he shouldn't have been so surprised to find Ron along for this mission. "I was expecting Neville."

"Change of plans," Ron said quietly, his shadowed eyes surveying the waters around them. Outwardly, the boat didn't seem big compared to many Muggle yachts but on the inside it was far different. Wizard space made the yacht comfortable, even spacious, which Augusta Longbottom supposedly had taken care of and was a good thing considering what their mission would be. It was Neville's family boat. People had family boats; Harry had given Neville a weird look when he had said that.

"Why, if I might ask?" Harry wondered. Since it was Neville's boat he had expected Kingsley to make him come. Apparently, Neville had managed to change missions. Harry hoped he wouldn't do anything reckless.

Ron paused slightly, then looked back at Harry. "You needn't worry. The plan Neville was using originally was mine and I couldn't have let you go alone, could I?"

That, at least, was a relief. Harry had seen more raids fail due to a lack of information than anything else, and his relief must have shown on his face. The corner of Ron's mouth twitched into what might have been called a smile.

"So, you know how to drive this thing?" Harry asked

"Yes. Mostly," Ron admitted. "I still think that bringing Perkins along might have helped matters."

"Kingsley doesn't trust him," Harry pointed out quietly, revealing that he, too, was at least a little suspicious.

Footsteps interrupted their conversation, and Harry turned to see Anthony Goldstein step onto the bridge. His brown hair was more frizzy than usual, and his round face, which was usually smiling, was more serious than Harry had ever seen it. He looked at Ron with steady brown eyes.

"Everyone's on board," Goldstein said calmly. His face betrayed none of the nervousness that Ron felt; Anthony didn't seem to worry over the fact that they were about to enter the Dementors' own den. But then Ron spotted the lines around his eyes, and shook his head. This Auror business didn't suit him. On more than one occasion Ron wanted to quit but then the faces of his parents when they had been in the battle or after they had managed to do rounds, the tired scared face of his brother after he had successfully managed to slip under the Death Eater radar made him want to clean this shite first.

Harry turned to face Ron after nodding his thanks to Anthony. His face was dark and somewhat tight, but he, too, seemed calm. "Ready to go?"

"Sure," Ron shrugged. "You two might as well get comfortable. Even as fast as this thing goes, it will take us almost three hours to reach the island."

"Just keep an eye on the course. About three miles out, the Muggle Repelling Charms will wreck havoc with that compass," Harry warned him.

"Right." Ron already knew that, of course, but he understood the need to repeat the information. The information had been a tough part of their Auror training. So many things had to be fitted and focused on. As ten other Aurors filled onto the bridge, he noticed the tense atmosphere that permeated the group, and they weren't nearly as calm as their leaders seemed to want him to believe. Suddenly, Ron frowned. "There are only ten of you?"

"A reliable source has informed us that the Lestranges—" Lisa shivered "—will not be on the island tonight," Harry replied quietly.

"Oh. I guess that means there won't be much other than Dementors, will there?" Madam Bones, a senior Auror, asked casually.

Did Lisa see Potter quiver? "Probably."

Nodding, Ron checked to make sure all lines were clear before easing the throttles forward. Slowly, the boat moved forward, yet he was acutely aware of ten sets of eyes following his every movement. What might have been a fun experience with Muggle technology was instead a deadly serious situation, and Ron found himself longing for the solitude and enjoyment of all his test runs with the yacht. It had been so much simpler before he had spectators. Finally, though, Harry turned towards the others sensing Ron's discomfort.

"Let's go below," he said quietly. "Try to get some rest if you can. We'll do a last minute brief in two hours."

* * *

Neville crept silently through the underbrush, waving his team forward as he went. They were all volunteers, like he was, there to ensure that the Azkaban mission didn't fail. An Unspeakable had managed to gather information, and as always, the information was correct; the Lestranges had indeed ventured forth from their island base to conduct a personal strike in Grimmauld Place on Muggles. Many Death Eaters had gathered at Grimmauld Place no. 13 in preparation, and it appeared that they, and the Lestranges who had apparently taken the position of leader after Voldemort, were simply waiting there and socializing until the right moment.

Harry's house had been the subject of raids for a long time now. The apparition wards didn't work. The Death Eaters had Unspeakable knowledge with them to break them every time. The raids were hard. Either they took a team and created havoc in a Muggle area or let the Death Eaters hide. The statute of secrecy was to be maintained and thus the raids were done secretly. They had managed to catch some but then every time with Dementor interference it had been impossible to come back let alone arrest one.

Finally, an Unspeakable - Croaker - had managed to gather information on them. The Azkaban base had no Lestranges today or wizards, only Dementors. Harry and Ron had taken that and Neville had volunteered for this.

As soon as his entire team was in position, he gave the signal. This wasn't meant to be an all-out raid, of course—although it would certainly seem that way to the Lestranges. The raid on Grimmauld Place, though, was designed to fail, and spectacularly. But in failure, they would buy Harry and the others time. Kingsley was right about one thing: the Lestranges would not believe Harry would enter Azkaban. Everyone knew about his fear of Dementors. Neville growled under his breath. Neville still didn't like it, but he had a job to do.

"Now!"

As one, the dozen Aurors leapt forward, assaulting both wards and windows. They could have removed the wards stealthily, of course—but it would have taken way too much time, and wouldn't have attracted nearly enough attention. The messy, sheer power method was guaranteed to light a fire under Lestrange's feet and make him furious, which was exactly what Neville was aiming for.

"They're coming out!" Francine Proudfoot yelled from off to his right.

Neville grinned nastily. "Let them come!"

The first Death Eater—he thought it was Rowle, but could not tell—hit their first line of surprises and flew straight up into the air, screaming in rage. It wouldn't kill him, of course, but he'd be mighty uncomfortable for quite awhile, especially if he landed on something hard. Neville didn't wait to watch him fall, though; instead, he immediately took aim at the Death Eater behind him and the fight began in earnest. _I am coming for you, Lestranges,_ he thought.

 _This ends tonight._

* * *

The wind was whipping in Ron's hair when Harry came up to him again two and a half hours later. The open deck of the yacht was turning out to be less of a problem than he'd thought, although in bad weather it could have been disastrous. He didn't know what the Aurors had been doing down below during the time since they'd left, but it had been nice and quiet on the bridge, and he'd been enjoying himself. Mostly. It wasn't so bad in the few moments that he managed to forget they were closing with Azkaban.

Harry's footsteps were almost silent, but Ron had been looking in the right direction this time. He nodded a greeting, which the Auror absent-mindedly returned, and then noticed that Harry's eyes were fixed on the horizon, where Azkaban was just barely visible. Again, it might have been a trick of the light, but Ron could have sworn that he saw the other man shiver.

"We're within two miles of the island," he said just to fill the silence. "It shouldn't be long now."

"Bring us up on the east side if you can," Harry replied after a moment. "There's a dock there that you can use." He turned to face Ron, and his face was tight in the dim light of the bridge. "If we aren't back within two hours of landing, I want you to leave. Or if you're approached by anyone who isn't one of us."

Ron swallowed. "Got it." Then he looked at Harry, who was again facing outwards, staring out over the silent water at the island on which Sirius been imprisoned for twelve years. "You don't expect to fail, do you?"

"No. But it doesn't pay to take chances."

Ahead, on the deck, Ron noticed the Aurors assembling themselves in silence, checking wands and cracking knuckles. Their eyes, too, were fixed on Azkaban as the island slowly emerged from the mist, and it occurred to Ron that he was looking, actually looking, for the dark feelings which always emerged in him while near Dementors rather than Dementors themselves. Please let them be alive, he thought desperately. Let them be okay. He risked another glance at Harry and caught him unawares; the Auror was still looking over the water, and his face was pale and tight now as he obviously remembered what the years in Azkaban had done to Sirius.

"It will be alright, mate," he said quietly, startling Harry. "And it will work out." Harry turned and looked in his eyes. "We'll get them back."

Harry swallowed; there seemed to be an insurmountable lump in his throat. He could have pointed out that there were no certainties in battle, but the fire in Ron's eyes prevented that. "Thanks."

Ron only nodded, smiling slightly. Harry's eyes still seemed haunted, but there was something else in him Ron couldn't define. After a moment's more staring at Azkaban, Harry brushed his hair out of his face and took a deep breath. Then a voice came from behind them.

"Do we have it all?" she asked. Ron grinned and pointed Harry to a bag near him. Harry picked it up and pulled out two small, cloth-wrapped bundles and set them on the floorboards of the yacht. They unfolded as he pulled his hand away, revealing several dozen miniscule but brightly colored boxes and parcels, the largest of them no bigger than a postage stamp. Harry drew his wand and tapped the little pile. "Engorgio."

The pile abruptly expanded to cover the area, several parcels that were now easily two feet square tumbling off the sides and onto the floor. Each bore the 'W' of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and Ron motioned proudly at them. "Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, Guaranteed Gripping Gloves, Skiving Snackboxes, Shield Shirts in four sizes, two Deflagration Deluxe packs, Decoy Detonators, Garbling Gum, Daydream Charms, a Portable Portal, U-No-Poo, Edible Dark Marks, Coding Quills, Imperceptible Ink – oh, yeah, and a sandwich for me."

Lisa let out a low whistle and shook her head slowly in amazement. "Remind me never to mess with your family."

"I'd think," he chuckled, "you'd have learned that before now. But seriously–" Harry reached down and scooped the fallen parcels onto the larger heap. "—some of this stuff should help us figure out the last couple of things we were having trouble with for the mission. I figure one more brief, and we should be ready to go, don't you think?"

"Probably," Harry nodded. "I'll call it and if everything goes right, we should be ready to strike out."

"Good." Lisa shuddered. "The waiting's almost worse than the idea of the actual mission at this point. I just want it over with, you know?"

"As long as we don't let ourselves get sloppy," Harry cautioned. Ron followed both with his eyes as they made their way off the bridge and onto the deck to join the other Aurors. He'd never quite understood what drove some witches and wizards to be Aurors, to risk their lives day in and day out, fighting people who would kill them in an instant. Ron shared their desire to make a difference, to join the fight against them but he'd always felt that Aurors were something else, something different.

They were the risk takers, the elite—but here he saw what made the job worth the dangers. It was not about killing; it was about saving people. Ron smiled as Harry gave one last nod to him before vanishing from his sight. He would have to leave soon. For some reason, Ron just knew it wasn't his work. He didn't want to join the Aurors. He just wanted to make a difference.

* * *

There was a gentle thunk as the yacht bumped against the dock. Harry laid his hand on the rail.

"Lisa, you and Schuyler will be here, at that end. Anthony, you and Rachel at the other end. Terry, Mike; you guys in the middle, right behind. All of you should have a Patronus at ready." Harry pointed at the triangle shape of Azkaban and commanded his team around him in the same triangle shape. He turned, looking away from their faces as they cast their Patronus. "Now, this is a smaller mission than last time, just the four Command Staff for the actual break-in and the six I just named guards, but I don't want anyone thinking they've been left out because I don't like them or they're not good enough."

He took a deep breath, waving a hand at the board. "This is the riskiest thing we've ever done, or ever will do until the final battle, and the command staff- Madam Bones, Pappenforth, Elektra and I don't feel right asking anyone else to take that on. As for the others, they've been chosen off two criteria. The first is that you've probably noticed that you all have huge animals as Patronus. No offense – Elektra and Bones are both small and light, so's Pappenforth, so It will obviously be easy for them – but they just know the most spells. Second, we're using two pairs of long-term best friends as guards. You'll be under Disillusionment Charms and Garbling Gum, so we need people who can work together under pressure with minimal communication. Any questions so far?

Lisa raised her hand, a worried look on her face. "Why all four of you? If you get caught, we lose everyone."

"Each of us has chosen a second. Schuyler, Rachel, Mike and Terry are ready to take over if something happens to us." Harry nodded to the four, who stood, Terry taking a little bow, even as the others looked rather intimidated by the prospect. "As for why all four, that'll make sense in a minute. We could technically do it with two, but Moody once taught me if you absolutely need something, make sure you have more than one in case the first fails. If I wouldn't go into a test without a backup quill, I'm not going into this with just Elektra. Pappenforth and Madam Bones are our backup."

Rachel Moore was the next to raise her hand. "So how are you getting in?"

"The weakest point of the defense is from the outside." Pappenforth stepped forward to stand beside him, motioning at Azkaban with his wand. Pappenforth and Madam Bones were older than Harry and experienced and yet Kingsley had asked him to let Harry lead so he could learn properly. As Pappenforth raised his wand a schematic of the Azkaban appeared, replaced by a floor plan of Azkaban shown from above, each item clearly labeled, and vaguely glowing, multicolored auras indicating spells surrounding many of them.

"Because it's seven stories up." Elektra appeared less than pleased with Pappenforth's explanation, and her scowl deepened.

"With an Anti-Levitation Jinx so you can't use brooms or anything like that, and the rooftop is charmed to seal shut if anything larger than a bird touches the outside." Madam Bones pointed to the purple glow that surrounded the cross-section of the wall, her voice utterly casual.

Mike leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "So...?"

Harry laughed. " We're climbing."

"You're mental!" Lisa blurted, and a dozen heads nodded in agreement.

"Probably." Bones shrugged, smiling, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of thin black gloves, the palms of which were covered with tiny hooks like a cockleburr. "But we've got the Guaranteed Gripping Gloves from the Weasleys and the walls should actually give pretty good handholds."

"But you said it's charmed." Rachel's hand was still in the air, utterly unconvinced.

"Portable Portal." Picking up a small box, Harry opened it and pulled out what looked like a folded square of black cloth. As he shook it out, however, it was revealed to be a circle about a foot wide, paper-thin, transparent and shadowy. He placed it against the floor of the yacht, and it clung there, then expanded to about four times its size, offering them all a brief glimpse into the river, as if a floor had suddenly been cut through the stone. He left it there only a few seconds, then peeled it away, folding it up. "It's meant for interior walls, so it won't expand very far through two feet of solid stone, but it'll be just big enough for the girls to squeeze through. Thankfully, they're tiny little things, even if I wouldn't want to cross either of them in a duel. They can open the window from the inside and let me and Pappenforth in."

"Then what?" Harry was rather pleased to see that Rachel's expression of doubt had been replaced by a look of distinctly impressed curiosity.

"That's where you come in." Elektra stepped forward, flexing her muscled arms. "Your Patronuses are big enough to shield you and us."

"It'll probably set off an alarm and the Dementors will rush us as soon as we touch the upper part," Pappenforth acknowledged, "so we aren't taking the time to climb back down. We're using Featherlight Charms and jumping. We should float down as lightly as a sheet of parchment. After that, we'll have have to rely on our Patronuses, to our towers, and everyone is going to make a run for the yacht where Ron will be waiting to let you all in. Push the crowd first. Terry and Mike, your dragons should be focused on the sky above the triangle. From there we will jump in, when Terry will jump out to the point where Lisa will open the Portable Portal for the prisoners to get out and you will shield them with your dragons."

Elektra let out a low, impressed whistle. "You guys have thought of everything."

"No, they haven't." Schuyler stood, casting a glance around, chin thrust out pugnaciously. "There are going to be thousands of Dementors in there."

"There are," admitted Harry. "But if we do it right, it'll be like my third year. My stag held more than hundred Dementors alone. I think your shields will be fine. Keep thinking about happy things, especially you guards. Keep your eyes open. Ron will try to send his otter as much as he can but he is too far away and has to shield himself."

Schuyler backed down, and Harry was rather touched to see that the scowl on the boy's features had dissolved into lines of worry. "You guys had better really hope you do it right, then."

Harry exchanged a look with his commanders, then nodded, no trace of humor in his smile. "For all our sakes."

* * *

His hands were shaking. Whether it was from fear or excitement, Harry couldn't tell, but he pulled the thin black gloves over them anyway, clasping them tightly at his wrists. His heart was pounding, he felt almost light-headed, but he held his features in an expression of stony determination, knowing that he did not have the luxury of anything less. He was their leader, and tonight of all nights, he had to live up to it.

Looking around, he allowed himself to watch his fellow companions as they took their own last moments to prepare. Only Bones, Elektra, and Pappenforth, like himself, looked as though they were actually dressed for battle. Despite the bitter chill of the late December night, they had stripped off their loose outer robes as they were far too easy to become entangled on their long climb, and their uniforms had been charmed to the same featureless black as on their first mission, scarves ready to swathe their faces, hands gloved.

The guards were all dressed in tights – Spandex and tight tops – but they would be using Disillusionment Charms for concealment, and the tight clothing would be easier to hide if they were caught and needed to run. Nonetheless, the air of something impending hung over all of them, a near physical weight suspended from a thinning thread.

Elektra had taken out the contents of the little bag she would be wearing at her waist, checking and repacking the Portable Portal, a bottle of water, an extra pair of gloves, and the handful of fireworks they had decided to bring as an emergency distraction. Harry had seen her do this three times already, but he said nothing. There was no need to ask her why. He had checked his own wand at least fifty times.

Michael and Terry were reviewing spells, their faces set in expressions as forcibly defiant as he knew his own must be; the others were sitting with their palms touching one another's in the motionless meditation that they had said strengthened the natural connection between them in times of great stress.

Pappenforth and Madam Bones had moved off to a corner together, but it did not seem to be, as he had first suspected, a passionate last-moment snogging session. They were engaged and very much in love. Harry wondered if he would be that comfortable with Ginny in public. Pappenforth's lips were moving, whispering something that made tears glitter on her cheeks, or perhaps was meant to soothe them. As his head tilted, Harry caught sight of his face, and it was an expression so intimately loving and tender that he looked away, flushing as though he had committed some shameful intrusion.

"Is everyone ready?" Harry asked.

Nine heads nodded in response, and he drew his wand, sending the now-familiar stream of silver sparks towards the ceiling and willing his voice to remain strong, not to crack, not to tremble as he signaled the beginning of their mission. His stag with other nine animals ran forward. Side by side, forward towards the wall.

 _The clock had struck._

* * *

 _**beta credits- StopTalkingAtMe.**_


	13. Rumble

_**Chapter 13**_

 _ **Rumble.**_

"I don't think…this was such…a good idea…after all." Bones's voice was as composed as always, even as she panted for air, each breath coming in a smoky puff against the cold night.

Harry couldn't help but smile, though he was breathing pretty hard himself, and he was praying for his shoulders and legs to cross the line from screaming to numb, the sweat so cold on the exposed skin around his eyes and the back of his neck that he wondered honestly if ice had begun to form. The Dementors weren't helping either but his stag and Mike's dragon kept him and the others shielded.

The climb up the side of Azkaban prison had been far more difficult than they had imagined. The rough-hewn stones that had seemed like they would offer such accommodating hand and footholds actually proved a treacherous collection of awkward slopes and angles; not quite enough to grab, but enough to make a foot slide down a few inches, a grip be not quite solid. There was also a flourishing crop of lichens, mosses, and slime molds that slipped and crumbled at every opportunity, and after an hour and a half of hard effort, they were only at the sixth floor, already forty-five minutes behind schedule and becoming dangerously exhausted, cold numbing their wearied fingers even further.

There had been a few close calls, and Harry had resolved to send Michael and Rachel a thank-you note of epic proportions as their Yak and Dragon shielded them from the crown of Dementors. He knew that the Gripping Gloves were the only thing that made the climb possible at all, and that they had saved his life at least three times already, clamping on to the wall as if glued there and releasing again at mere force of will. Pausing a moment, he glanced down and to his right a few feet to the second of the two smaller figures as he tried to wipe the sweat from his eyes against his shoulder. "Doing okay?"

Pappenforth's eyes glinted stubbornly up at him, but he could see the pain and exhaustion in the lines between his dark brows. "I'm fine."

"He is lying," Bones grinned. Harry didn't knew how the couple held themselves together with thousands of Dementors. But then again they were moving like sort of a shield circle. A Taurus, a Phoenix, a baby elephant, a giraffe, a yak, a stag, three cats- Madam Bones was quite good with patronuses, a tiger and two dragons shielded them all around. Like a big clock around him. Like his partners were the numbers, and he and his top commands were hands.

The pain dulled, driven back by anger, determination, a desire to strike back that pushed away the cold and fatigue. His shoulders tensed, and he reached out, grabbing the ledge that separated the sixth and seventh floors and hauling himself upward. The Dementors looked like a large black cloud above the six foot dragon covering him.

It was just the pain and the eyes and the wall, always the wall, stone against skin, shoulder throbbing, joints aching, muscles cramping…and then there was a hand. A girl's hand, delicate yet strong, closed around Harry's wrist, and suddenly he was back on another wall, and Elektra had reached down for him, and he was there, he'd made it. They were seven stories above the grounds, outside the main entrance of Dementors, and he pulled himself up to sit on the newly-strengthened ledge, gasping for breath as he trembled with the exertion and the throbbing ache from every muscle in his body.

His head swam, and Harry forced his eyes to remain open. He didn't remember the climb, but he was here, and he forced himself to be utterly aware of it. A cold sweat soaked his uniform, making it cling to him like a second skin, but it was the cold of late December and he had a mission. They had a mission, and he couldn't let them down.

"Thirsty." His voice was hoarse, and he wondered if they could tell what had happened, how he'd – he wasn't sure, really – but Elektra's eyes held no sign of suspicion that he'd lost his mind as she handed over the water bottle from her bag. He took a long swallow, then passed it back to Rachel, grateful to feel the thirst simply retreat like a normal thing.

"We should get moving. It's almost two," Lisa said nervously. "Are you…do you think you're ready?"

He nodded, forcing himself to his feet again. "Break into pairs now. Mike, you guard the ceiling. Terry, you go down. Wait for my blast." Quickly, his team joined with their pre-designated partners, with one of each pair moving to either side of the triangle. The seven of them drifted towards the inner wall; Bones, as the unit's second in command, would stay there unless Harry fell, keeping them safe from an attack from the sky. Elektra had already done her work; she had blasted the ceiling ceremonially.

Without giving any further orders, Harry set a feather light charm on him and jumped in the center of Azkaban. He fell quickly, light as a parchment, but struggled not to make much noise in the process. Elektra, he noticed, was having difficulties doing the same; the young Auror was struggling to keep her fear in. But when Harry glanced over his shoulder at her, she gave him a confident thumbs up, so he turned back to the task at hand, straining his eyes to see in the dark.

Three of them - Anthony, Moore and Turpin - went for the ground while Harry took hold of a cell. Inside Azkaban was also triangular in shape except the cells all opened directly onto the drop, with no room outside them to land. From the seventh floor to the first there were rooms and bars outside them. No ground for them to even try.

Finally, he looked in the nearest cell, where a woman was trembling inside, thin as parchment. He was growing colder now, which told Harry that something was getting close. The presence of Dementors always made him cold—but suddenly the feeling was more than a chill; he was freezing and voices were beginning to drift into his mind—No!

Harry spun, wand in hand, just in time to see a Dementor floating out from a cell on the right hand side. Think of a happy thought, he told himself desperately as the Dementor came nearer. Screams echoed in his ears, though, and his vision started to blur… He remembered pain and horrors, and angry voices shouting… Something happy…

"Expecto Patronum!"

Elektra's Patronus sent the Dementor fleeing, and Harry let out a shaky breath. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"No problem, boss," she replied. "I saw you tense and figured that something had to be up. You sense those things from pretty far away, don't you?"

"Occupational hazard," he replied dryly. He was starting to feel like himself once more and let out a steadier breath. I am not going to be caught by surprise again, he vowed, more angry with himself than anything else. "Let's keep going."

"Right."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the Aurors finally freed all the people, sent them down with a feather light charm. Some weren't even moving, as if the soul had been sucked out of them. But the Aurors pushed them out and Rachel and other guards pushed them through the Portable Portal. Harry glided carefully around to check if anyone was left, hearing faint crunches under his feet and those of his team. He stopped at the foot of a cell just as Turpin let out a startled yelp in response to a loud crack under her foot.

"What was that?" Pappenforth demanded.

"Bones," Anthony responded, glancing up at them. "Looks like they dump bodies here."

Immediately, he and Elektra both went a little green, but Pappenforth only shrugged. Harry shivered, then shook his head, forcing himself to concentrate. He turned to Elektra.

"Stay here until I give the all clear signal."

"Got it."

Harry crept up the stairs, trying to miss the spots he remembered as mould. His attempts at stealth, however, failed when he discovered that all the walls were falling apart and beyond repair; the stones were crumbling around him. Abandoning the effort, Harry climbed up the rest of the way as fast as possible and cast a quick Searching Spell. Because he'd limited the distance of the spell, the results came back almost instantaneously. Nothing.

He sighed in relief. Harry's worst fear had been to break into the prison and immediately encounter a score of Dementors, but it seemed that he had remembered Azkaban's schedule correctly. During the night, Dementors were allowed to wander in and out of cells freely, permitted to torment prisoners almost to the point of insanity—but never over that line, and never the Dementor's Kiss. Fudge had a firm grip upon his disgusting creatures, and it seemed that they did not dare disobey him and even now, when Fudge was no more, they still followed the schedule.

Leaving the shelter of the doorway, Harry signaled the others to come up. The Dementors were scattered and otherwise occupied, which was good; it meant that no group of Aurors could encounter an overwhelming number of them, and Harry felt safe dividing his group into sub teams. When they had all made it through the cells, he led them forward another hundred feet or so along a tunnel which led downwards to where the top security prisoners were kept, and then stopped, turning back to face them and speaking in a rapid whisper.

"There are four rows of cells. Anthony, Turpin, Schuyler and Pappenforth, take the two to the right. Elektra, and Rachel, with me. We'll take the two on the left. Remember, we have twenty-seven prisoners to rescue, and some of them may not be able or willing to move on their own. Meet back here as quickly as you can, and let us know immediately if you run into trouble."

"Consider it done," Anthony whispered, leading his team away.

Harry watched them for a long second, and then turned left, towards the highest security of the Azkaban cells. Kingsley was right. This smelled like rats.

A silvery otter made its way to him at the same time and Ron's voice echoed around them. "Boot needs a break. The Dementors are affecting him badly. I have left the prisoners you sent in the boat with a otter but I don't think it will last long. Work faster, mate. Faster." Ron's voice was exhausted and Harry simultaneously with Elektra sent a stag and taurus to help. Hopefully it would hold. Everyone started working faster.

* * *

"Watch out!" Neville ducked a red flash of light and fired a spell over his shoulder in that direction without looking back. "Thanks!"

Li Sue was too busy casting spells to answer, and Neville rolled to her side, coming up in a crouch and seeing LeStranges firing that reminded him painfully of his father—Don't think about that now, Neville, he cautioned himself. You can't afford to be distracted!—and joined her effort.

The Death Eaters outnumbered his team, and the Aurors had been fighting a splendid retreat, but things were beginning to get hairy. The space around the gallery of Grimmauld Place, after blasting many walls, was only so big, and within ten minutes, if they kept up the pace they were at now, they'd run out of cover. At which point the Death Eaters would undoubtedly start to wonder why the Aurors hadn't simply Apparated away and saved what they could.

No one was down, yet, although Neville had acquired a nasty burn on his right shoulder that he knew would need attention later. Fortunately, it wasn't bothering him enough so that he had to switch wand arms, which would have been very bad in a fight like this one. They had to delay long enough to give Harry and the others time. Everything depended on keeping Lestrange and the bulk of his Death Eaters away from Azkaban—

"Neville," Maggie Smith suddenly shouted, fear in her voice.

He had to cast a Shocking Spell in Selwyn's direction before answering. "What?"

"He's gone!"

"Who's down?" Neville' heart leapt into his throat. He hated to lose people, hated to sacrifice friends and allies in a cause that, although just, had claimed far too many lives in the last twenty years.

"No one! It's Lestrange and his merry band! They are gone!"

* * *

Harry led the prisoners towards the door, his wand held in a low ready position. After a quick glance outside, he gestured Diggle forward, and the man was only too glad to comply. Stepping outside his cell under his own power for the first time, Diggle looked around and noticed at least three other Aurors, one of whom was helping a battered wizard hobble from the next cell.

One of the Aurors turned to Harry. "We've got all the prisoners from the far end, Potter," Elektra Einstein said calmly. "Now, all we've got to do is work our way back towards the meeting point."

"Good." Potter turned and gestured far down the cell row. "Watch that direction."

"Harry Potter." Diggle's fellow prisoner was staring at Potter with wide eyes and a slack jaw. He stumbled, and the slight Auror supporting him almost didn't catch him.

"Hey, Angelina's father, right?" Harry replied quietly. "She is going to be happy to see you."

Angelina's father blinked. "You're dead. They told us you were dead."

"Almost." The smile didn't touch Harry's eyes, which were darting from side to side, watching everything around them. He seemed more tense than the other Aurors, but more watchful as well, and they were clearly turning to him for leadership.

"Dementors!" Dedalus managed to gasp as he collapsed and hit the floor, dragging the slim Auror down with him. Angelina's father staggered, bouncing into the wall and leaning on it hard. Harry's vision wavered, darkening rapidly, but he could see a dozen of the creatures heading their way. He saw one reach Mr. Johnson before the black wizard could raise his hand—the Dementor clamped its hands around Johnson's neck and was bending over—Harry stumbled, almost collapsing, and hit the wall next to Dedalus. His wand was up, and Dedalus caught a glimpse of the grim determination etched into his pale features as his wand whipped forward.

"Expecto Patronum!"

An enormous silver stag leapt out of Potter's wand and bowled over the first Dementor as it brought Johnson's face up; the Dementor flew backwards and then turned and fled, defeated. Immediately, the stag swept around to face the other incoming creatures, diving into their midst and scattering them. A moment later, a female wizard's voice could be heard casting the Patronus Charm, as she ran up from behind them. Her Taurus joined the stag in chasing the Dementors away.

The cold feeling retreated as suddenly as it had come, and Harry blinked, pushing himself away from the wall and helped Dedalus to his feet. Harry had walked over to Angelina's father, steadying the larger man as he struggled to stand.

"I'm okay," he said shakily.

Harry nodded; his eyes were sharp. "I think we've been made."

"Agreed," the woman responded, and Dedalus turned slightly towards her as he shoved himself free of the wall. He knew Elektra, and was surprised that he hadn't recognized her voice or her Patronus—but such worries were for another time. She had been an intern during the war. Looking over her shoulder, he spotted the knot of prisoners that she'd clearly been with before rushing forward to meet the Dementors.

"Nice timing, by the way," Harry said to Elektra, and Harry suddenly recognized the slender young man as Mundungus Fletcher. His jaw dropped at the sight of him.

"Not good enough," he replied testily. Elektra's eyes were on Potter, but he was looking behind her.

"I think," Dedalus said slowly, "that you're going to have to sacrifice some of us less mobile prisoners for the sake of speed."

Harry gaped. "De—"

"Not possible." Rachel cut them both off with a hard look on her face. She walked straight up to Dedalus and looked the battered man in the eye. "I'm not leaving anyone in Azkaban; I know too well what this place is like." She extended her wand. "Here. Just do it."

Dedalus looked dubiously at the wand. "I'll last an hour if we're lucky," he warned. "And my left leg is broken. I won't get very far without the Quick Heal, and I refuse to slow anyone down."

"If we're here for longer than an hour, we're all dead anyway."

Sighing, Dedalus took the wand and pointed it at himself.

Harry felt his eyebrows rise as Dedalus cast the spell; he remembered, oh so clearly, learning about the Aurors' emergency Quick Heal Spell in training, and definitely recalled Proudfoot lecturing him high and low about how never to use it unless it was a genuine emergency. Well, if this isn't a disaster, I don't know what qualifies, Harry thought to himself. The look on Dedalus's face told him that the pain had faded very little, if at all, but the older man straightened and was able to support his own weight. Harry knew that the spell wouldn't last long and that the damage would be worse when it finally wore off, but in the current situation, even that seemed like an improvement.

"Thanks," Dedalus said to Rachel.

"No problem. Let's get—"

Red light flashed over their heads, narrowly missing the slender Auror who had been supporting Dedalus only moments before. "Get down!" Elektra cried, and the four Aurors, both old and new, dove to the sides, seeking what shelter they could from the prison's walls. For a moment, Dedalus considered ducking back into his old cell, but decided that he'd rather risk it then go back there.

* * *

Hermione couldn't sleep. Something was wrong. Something was there. Something was going to happen. She felt uneasy wandering around the corridors thinking about it.

She closed her eyes and the familiar blue eyes flashed through her mind again. It was like a sixth sense. It was intuition. She just had a bad feeling about this day. Wandering around at this time of the night, Hermione was surprised to see Trelawney walk out of the kitchen with cakes in her her hands. Trelawney looked at her and opened her mouth.

Suddenly, she dropped everything and looked at her strangely. Hermione's brow furrowed and she glanced down at the scattered object when Trelawney began to speak.

" _When Spares are spared,  
When time is turned,  
When unseen children murder their fathers, then will the Dark Lord return."_

Hermione's heart leapt out. Her throat closed and she couldn't bear it anymore. The goosebumps on her skin rose and suddenly everything felt so silent and slow.

She raised her wand in familiar incantation. Silver sparks shot through her wand and her otter came out, then left with her magic.

Trembling, Hermione helped Trelawney pick her things up.

* * *

"Stupefy!"

A red jet of light issued from their side, and suddenly Harry saw one of their shadowy opponents go down. Then he heard Bulstrode's voice.

"Oh, is that you, Potter?" he taunted. "Have you been foolish enough to enter Azkaban? I hope you know you won't be leaving this time!" He easily blocked a spell that Rachel sent in his direction, and Rachel's shield evaporated under the strength of Bulstrode's attack.

"Nox," Harry hissed under his breath, and suddenly all the lights went out in the corridor and they were plunged into darkness. He thought he heard someone on their side curse angrily.

"Do you think you can hide, Potter?" Bulstrode's voice demanded, laughing. "The darkness is my friend! Avada Kedavra!"

Green light flashed high over Elektra's head, impacting with the wall and making metal fragments spray everywhere. A moment later, Harry heard a reverberating gong sound in the prison that sounded much like thunder; with a start, Harry realized realized that it was Lisa's rescue team's trouble signal.

"Is that the best you can do?" Elektra called back in response to Bulstrode's taunts, but he laughed.

"Calling for friends? And here I was, thinking that you'd be man enough to fight me!" He laughed again, and the sound of it sent a shiver down Harry's spine. Somewhere to his left, he heard movement, but Bulstrode wasn't finished. "Lumos," he hissed under his breath, and Harry caught sight of his ghostly outline just before his wand zeroed in on Rachel's crouching form. "Ava—"

"Everbero!" He clearly hadn't been waiting for Harry to reveal himself, because his strike spell hit Bulstrode full in the chest and sent him flying backwards, where he crashed into the distant wall, unmoving. "Expelliarmus!"

His wand sped into Harry's hand, and then everything went dark as Bulstrode's spell extinguished. There was no sign of anyone else being here and Harry shuddered to think what was happening outside with the shield guards. Ron could hold it for some time and Madam Bones was even better but then a herd of Death Eaters wouldn't be easy even for her. A moment later, the corridor lights were restored as Harry mumbled another spell, and the Auror turned immediately to Dedalus, who shook his head. "Give it to Fletcher," the older man said weakly. He was clearly still in pain.

"Here." Fletcher caught the tossed wand neatly and turned it over in his hand.

"Thanks."

Harry nodded. "Everyone all right?" A chorus of affirmative answers greeted his question as Aurors and prisoners picked themselves up off the ground. "Good. Let's get out of here before something else goes wro—"

"Look out!" Angelina's father cried, spinning towards the direction from which the other prisoners were approaching. On instinct, Harry felt his wand raising and turning in the same direction, and he barely managed to deflect the Stunning Spell that was on his lips when he recognized the new group of people. Turpin was in the lead, which made relief color Harry's voice. "Lisa."

Lisa's sharp brown eyes took in the unconscious Bulstrode with a glance. "I see you've been busy," she commented.

"Quite," Fletcher grunted. "Let's get out of here. I don't think I can hold much longer."

Harry spoke after only a few seconds. "How many did you find?" he asked Lisa.

"Five," she replied immediately. Harry noticed that his companion seemed years older now, and the determination on her face was clearly mixed with joy. "We ran into Avery on the way, but he'll be out for awhile. I don't think they were the only ones. I think there are more."

They set off down the corridor as fast as they could, which, unfortunately, wasn't a great speed. Various injuries slowed the prisoners down, and Harry saw some supporting each other while Aurors alternated between lending a hand and keeping a lookout. It seemed to take forever to work their way up the long row of high security cells, but finally the ungainly group made its around the first bend and soon they had nearly passed the last bend when they heard screams.

Harry's throat went dry as sandpaper as he recognized the voice. Ron. He froze right there until he had enough sense to run. Once he had, he ran at full speed. Not Ron. Not Ron! A cold chin ran down his spine as he saw a yak run before him and Harry noticed Schuyler had used his mind. Ron was being cornered by Dementors. His shield hardly holding out, protecting him and Terry at the same time. A horrible image of him holding out like this protecting Sirius flashed through his mind and Harry at once released his stag. His happy memories faded away as he heard several more bursts of magic around him.

Once he looked up he noticed Madam Bones and Pappenforth with six cloaked figures, fighting hard to keep Mike out of harm's way whose shield was deflecting as he looked at them. Pappenforth's left arm wasn't moving. Madam Bones had her cheek bleeding. Harry immediately rushed to Ron as the herd of Dementors left him and Terry and as soon as he crouched the Killing Curse made way to him and he was pushed down in a second by a spell. Harry made a mental note to thank Goldstein for his senses.

Rabastan's laughter made way to Harry's ears and as he looked up, a wand was already pointing in his direction and firing the killing curse.

Harry was moving already, and a gesture with his wand tore a hole through the wall; the Killing Curse made the wall explode and lit the ground between Harry and Rabastan on fire, lending eerie light to the proceedings.

Then the duel began in earnest. Harry hardly had time to think, only to react. Bright lights flashed in the air, crossing and bending around one another. In the background, Harry heard shouting, and thought that came from his companions, but he didn't have time to be sure. He could only concentrate on Rabastan's reactions.

Harry was struck with Rabastan's Cruciatus Curse even as his Confounded Spell hit the Dark wizard. Harry flew backwards with a cry, hitting the wall only inches from Ron's startled feet, but was gratified to see Rabastan also down, although temporarily, which broke the torture curse's hold on him. Ron tried to grab his arm and pull him aside, but Harry rolled forward and out of his reach, coming up in his old dueling crouch.

"Reducto!" he bellowed, but a wave of Rabastan's wand deflected the spell upwards, making a section of the wall cave in with a crash almost making Bones fall. Harry immediately cast a Stunning Spell, hoping that the effort of avoiding the falling rock would distract his opponent, but had no such luck and narrowly missed being hit by another Cruciatus Curse.

In the meantime, Rabastan conjured a swarm of snakes that reared up at Harry, seemingly willing to swallow him whole—a quick Incinerator Curse made the snakes burst into flames, but it had taken precious moments, and a Bone Breaker Curse ate through Harry's neglected shields. Gasping, he doubled over, feeling ribs crack and splinter; there was barely time to roll out of the way before another jet of green light filled the space where he'd just been. Still in motion, Harry raised his wand quickly, knowing that there was no time for pain.

There was no time for thought or reaction. There wasn't even time to breathe. Only to act.

The corridor between his companions and escape was becoming the stage of a light show. Curses filled the air, and Harry blocked some by pure instinct and avoided others; smoke was drifting around them, making the duel seem absolutely surreal. Ron blocked an Impediment Curse and tore another door off its hinge and sent it flying at Rodolphus. Immediately, the door burst into flames, but Ron was already moving sideways, anticipating the Killing Curse before it was cast. The wall behind Harry exploded, and he heard someone shout.

Quickly, he waved his wand, and his stag and Ron's Otter took care of the Dementors trying to come in and join the duel. Coming up into a crouch and seeing stars, Harry fired off a shield that intercepted Rodolphus' next curse, then Harry shot to his feet, acting on pure instinct and forgoing thought of any laws or rules, or even of common sense.

"Imperio!"

"Imperio!"

Rabastan's imperious didn't affect Harry at all but Harry's curse made Rabastan lose it. Harry at once willed him to go and duel his own. He needed to get his team out of here before whole herd came. He looked back at Ron who was helping Terry up and casting a shield around.

"RON!" he hollered and Ron's head shot up in search for him. As his eyes found Harry, he seemed to have breathed in relief. "RON! Quick heal Terry and walk towards the yacht. Get it ready." Ron nodded and at once began to work.

Harry looked back up at the ceiling and sent three stags up there in support of Mike. To free Pappenforth of his two attackers, Harry at once willed Rabastan to blast them.

He sprinted towards the door, and the crowd of prisoners and Aurors split to allow him passage. Upon reaching the rusted Portal. He noticed it was closed, and a cold feeling began to creep its way into his stomach. Don't be silly, Harry told himself. Lisa just must have closed it behind her. Without further hesitation, he wrenched the Portal off.

And came face to face with thousands of Dementors at once.

Harry blasted the Portal off. A cry of pain followed by a bright flash of light came from the other end of the hundred foot long hallway. Harry glanced around himself wildly, hoping to find a way out, but he knew there were none. The short hallway had just become a killing ground. They were trapped.

"Pappenforth! Mike! Bones!" he shouted, gesturing quickly to the three Aurors closest to the ceiling. "The wall to the right! Blast it now!"

"Why?" Mike shouted.

"Just do it!" Harry cried, pointing his wand at the rocky wall and letting lose the most destructive curse he could think of. His earlier attempt to collapse the walls into Rabastan had weakened it considerably, but Azkaban was a sturdy structure. The others followed his example, shooting spells straight up at the floor, and the floor began to shake once more—

 _Rumble_.

* * *

 _ **Beta credits-**_ _ **StopTa**_ ** _lkingAtMe._**


	14. The Last Enemy

_**Chapter 14**_

 _ **The Last Enemy.**_

 _ **Recap–**_

 _Harry blasted the Portal off. A cry of pain followed by a bright flash of light came from the other end of the hundred-foot-long hallway. Harry glanced around wildly, hoping to find a way out, but he knew there were none. The short hallway had just become a killing ground. They were trapped._

 _"Pappenforth! Mike! Bones!" he shouted, gesturing quickly to the three Aurors closest to the ceiling. "The wall to the right! Blast it now!"_

 _"Why?" Mike shouted._

 _"Just do it!" Harry cried, pointing his wand at the rocky wall and letting loose the most destructive curse he could think of. His earlier attempt to collapse the walls into Rabastan had weakened it considerably, but Azkaban was a sturdy structure. The others followed his example, shooting spells straight up at the floor, and the floor began to shake once more—_

 _Rumble_

* * *

Harry had barely come around the corner when he was forced to dive for cover as a red light nearly took his head off. He saw Mike leaving a temporary Patronus and jumping down to their side with Bones and Pappenforth.

Harry caught a glimpse of at least a half dozen Death Eaters beyond the temporary barrier the Aurors had created out of rubble, rocks, and metal fragments. "How bad is it?"

"Bad!" Anthony shouted back, popping up to cast a Stunning Spell at an advancing Death Eater. He dodged to the right, and he missed, and then both Aurors ducked their heads back below the barrier. "We can't hold much longer!"

"Who can you spare?" Harry hated to ask, but he had to. They needed the help.

"Turpin!" Bones shouted immediately, reaching out to grab the other Auror's shoulder with her left hand. "Go back"

Nodding her a quick thanks, Harry met Lisa's eyes, and together they sprinted back to the wall where he had blasted the portal. Harry cast the feather light charm on every prisoner and helped Lisa with blasting off the wall. She let her elephant loose on the Dementors and conjured another for the prisoners. Ron at once ran forward and they started transporting the prisoners out. Mundungus Fletcher and Diggle were some of the prisoners who were still holding out in the rubble with the Aurors. Harry knew the Quick Heal wouldn't last much longer.

"Mundungus," Harry commanded. "Get yourself up here and leave."

Mundungus nodded faintly and ran back towards the blasted wall where Goldstein had left his tiger fighting with Dementors. Harry lent his stag to Mundungus. A cry of pain came from Elektra's direction, though, and Harry thought it sounded like Schuyler's voice. Those ahead in line doubled their efforts. Exhaustion started pressing in hard on Harry after a few moments, but he ignored it and saw the others doing the same. Finally, the last two prisoners-Diggle and someone else-were through the wall and out, and Harry turned to call his other team back.

"Rachel!" Harry cried. "Pull back!"

The reaction was immediate, and he was grateful to see four figures backing up, still firing spells as they came. Pappenforth looked like he was dragging his right leg, and Anthony's face was covered in blood, but they were all mobile. Harry and the others lent their support to the effort, sending spells flying over their companions' heads and trying to delay the enemy in any way possible. One Death Eater fell, but another's spell missed and struck Mike. The black Auror cried out in pain and staggered, but Bones, exhausted though she was, caught him and helped him regain his balance.

"Get to the wall!" Harry ordered. "Cast your Patronuses." And they did. The silvery guardians pushed those obscene black creatures far away and cleared a path to the yacht, which a weak dragon and two otters were guarding.

A spell narrowly missed Bones, but then the last five Aurors were grabbed by their compatriots' spells and were whisked out of danger.

Harry landed on the ground with a thud. It took him a long moment to get up, but he forced his mind to work through the pain and exhaustion and scrambled to his feet. His Aurors were already backing away from Azkaban's wall, and the prisoners were already at a safe distance. Elektra and Goldstein were with them, he noticed—spells were flying up blindly from the Death Eaters, but Bones and Mike both cast shield spells over the opening, allowing the Aurors to continue to back away. The Aurors spread out immediately, scanning the ground around Azkaban's prison complex and searching for threats. For the moment, everything seemed clear, but Harry knew that wouldn't last long. Soon enough, the Death Eaters would venture outside, and unless they could contact Ron before that happened, they would be finished. But even as that morbid thought occurred to him, a giant spray of water engulfed them all.

Harry looked up, grinning.

The yacht was descending from the sky, dripping seawater down on the assembled Aurors and prisoners, which, although cold, was one of the best feelings Harry had ever felt in his life. Slowly, the yacht floated down,and her boarding ramp shot out to allow them across.

"Yes!" Pappenforth cried in triumph, and the grin on his face told Harry that he had been the one to signal Ron Weasley.

Harry reached out to slap the Auror on the shoulder. "Good work!"

Bones was already sending prisoners across the ramp; those who could make it were jumping over the gap between the yacht's side and the roof. Harry turned his head slowly, taking one last look and ensuring that no one was approaching them—but there were no Death Eaters in sight. To his right, though, there was a sharp crack, and the roof of Azkaban rumbled and shook, knocking several prisoners off their feet. The shield spell over the opening had been broken, but Harry only laughed. It was too late.

He leapt over to the yacht, the last aboard, and headed to the bridge as the yacht eased away from the prison. As they gained altitude, Harry noticed several figures make it outside Azkaban—and he recognized the one in the lead.

"You might want to hurry," Harry remarked lightly, reaching Ron's side. "He's not too happy with us right now."

Ron grinned back. "Right."

As the yacht jumped higher into the sky, Ron, as a sudden impulse possessed him, left the yacht in Harry's hand and leaned over the bridge railing. He waved jauntily to Lestrange.

"YOU AND WHOSE ARMY, BITCHES."

Harry laughed, harder than ever.

* * *

 _ **14th December.**_

 _AZKABAN CONQUERED_ _! by  
_ _ **Betty Braithwaite**_ _._  
 _  
For the past few months the atmosphere in Wizarding Britain has remained almost Demented. For we had won the war but paid for it in larger proportions. There were people who were happy and people who had nothing to celebrate because, even if there were no more brothers, husbands, daughters, sons lost, their loved ones were not yet back._

 _The Ministry, not wanting to frighten Britain just after the war, was not keen on giving this information out to the public. There were of course suspicions but never an outright announcement._

 _For the last few months the Ministry, under the orders of the ex-head of DMLE and Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, was working more openly and fiercely than under our previous Ministers, namely Cornelius Fudge (Pg. 4), Pius Thicknesse and Rufus Scrimgeour. As soon as Kingsley Shacklebolt took his place as minister he banned Dementors, which was a huge blow for Wizarding Britain, as Dementors were not kind creatures and were only kept in check by the minister. It proved to be a reckless decision, since later the Dementors joined You-know-Who's followers, the Death Eaters, on the run._

 _The Death Eaters were able to take over Azkaban once more, almost doubling their numbers and capturing people who should never have been in there._

 _For six months the Ministry hid the information that Azkaban was no longer under the control of the Ministry and nor were the Dementors. Yet we hardly experienced any change. Because with the help of Hermione Granger (Pg. 2), the Ministry was able to build another Prison but without the Dementors as guards. We should all applaud the Minister and Miss. Granger on such decisions. For they have reduced the risk of a breakout by ninety nine percent, which is a whole new level for the Wizarding Britain to reach._

Yesterd _ay, Auror Harry Potter (pg. 2), with his teammates such as Ron Weasley (pg. 3), Neville Longbottom and several others, broke into Azkaban and were successful in freeing the prisoners with no loss of Aurors except minor injuries. Harry Potter himself led the group and held off a total of one thousand Dementors and twenty-nine Death Eaters._

 _"It was a team effort," the young Auror said, grinning, sitting behind his best friend–Ron Weasley–who cheekily informed us, "It was a team effort and successful because we had a leader like Harry." And indeed the whole Auror department cheered at this, making the young Auror blush scarlet._

 _A total of fifty one prisoners were freed from Azkaban. Such as–Dedalus Diggle (a honorary Order of the Phoenix member who was assumed dead until now), Alvin Jordan (Father of Lee Jordan of Potterwatch), Mundungus Fletcher (Order of the Phoenix) and Cornelius Fudge (Ex Minister) and these are just some famous names._

 _So, Wizards and Witches, do go and check with the Ministry first before rushing into St. Mungo's and unnecessarily disturbing patients. See if any of your own–even if they were once declared dead–are there. Because from the moment a seventeen-year-old defeated He-who-must-not-be-named I started believing everything was possible and you should too._

Hermione read the article loud and clear with a smile that made her eyes twinkle. Harry sighed heavily and Ron laughed a little. Hermione giggled.

"I feel like my glass should be full, don't you think so, Hermione?" Harry said thoughtfully, looking at his glass of firewhiskey. They were sitting on the top of Harry's house at Godric's Hollow. Mrs. Weasley had insisted on throwing a party to celebrate Harry's first mission as a leader and Ron's success. Of course Hermione had insisted on joining right after reading the Morning Prophet. The party was over by now and they, like everyone, were drunk enough to sleep through a earthquake. But of course Harry had insisted on some alone time. Ron had followed him, totally ignoring the use of the words 'alone time' and, well, Hermione had to go there and correct him. Thus, the three of them ending up on the roof of Harry's house with a bottle of firewhiskey. Hermione had insisted on reading the article.

Hermione coughed as she saw Ron hiding the bottle behind him then looked at Harry with a straight face. "Yeah...I think so too..."

Harry looked at her and squinted his eyes. Hermione leaned back against Ron. Ron pinched his lips together.

A split second later Hermione burst out laughing. Ron followed her lead and Harry shook his head. The laughter echoed around in the silent night making it hard to concentrate on anything else.

"You know...We wouldn't be here if not for that troll," Hermione said, gazing at the stars.

"Or the Wingardium LeviOsa," Ron laughed, mimicking the O'sa.

"Or that bogey he left on my wand..." Harry said absentmindedly and the other two cringed.

Ron made a face. "Only you would like to remember that."

"Whose bogey on whose wand?"

"Right."

Harry turned around to look at Ron, curious as why Ron had suddenly become so submissive, only to find him kissing Hermione.

Harry groaned and nearly fell off his spot. "Will you to mind it?" He turned around, dramatically covering his eyes.

He heard Ron chucking. "You know, I reckon there is still a piece of Voldemort left in you."

"I am gonna find Ginny. We haven't-"

"You little prick–"

Hermione laughed, making Ron shut it. "Stop it. One, Ginny is asleep. Two, he is just annoying you, Ronald. Three, you realize that they are going to have at it eventually?" Hermione reasoned one by one, nodding her head all along. Perhaps agreeing with herself, Harry thought.

Harry winced. He hadn't gone through any stage of his relationship, let alone _that_ one. Ginny was busy getting herself to be noticed by the scouts, sending letters, networking and building a career. He was busy himself, with his new fame, with his new life, with the Auror business. Unlike Ron, he actually wanted to build a career in the Auror department and not only one that was based on his name.

He had been already granted a special case, without training and all that mentorship; he'd been allowed to join the Auror department and lead people. He still believed it was because of his influence. Neville had barely been allowed to lead a team, even though he was better than anyone else. He had led the DA through and all of them were more than better than the young Aurors. It was him and Ron who had suffered. He hardly had time to think about it or exchange more than letters with Ginny. Even today she hadn't been available because she was too exhausted to move a limb. Demelza had written a letter for her.

Harry was perfectly fine with going slow. Ginny seemed that way too. He just hoped she didn't find anyone else.

"As long as I don't get to hear about it. I have no problem," Ron said, with a sour face, slightly cringing at the thought of hearing about it.

"What if they have kids?"

Ron spluttered out the firewhiskey. "Whose side are you on, Hermione?"

Harry and Hermione laughed while Ron glared at them.

* * *

 _ **15th December.**_

"Trelawney made another prophecy."

"That evil old bat!"

"Ronald!"

Hermione looked scandalized as Ron let out a string of curses about their divination teacher. Harry assumed it was because of the hangover but then shrugged. Ron would do that even without a hangover. Although he was feeling like cursing everything too so...

"I swear that old bat is more evil than anyone else. Even Voldemort. All the prophecies she has made until now. Lead us anywhere but right into the lion's den." Ron was grumbling by now. Rolling on the couch, he had taken to sleeping in the corner of the room. Harry agreed with him on every aspect and tried to get the pillow off his face. It was proving to be slightly difficult as he was the one who was sprawled on the sofa and had thrust his head into the pillow. But then he flipped himself, and everything was right again. Except the earth was moving and Hermione and Ron's bickering in the background was giving him a headache.

"Ronald! You can't just go and–"

"I will do whatever the hell I want to–"

"Shut up," Harry said sharply, and they both turned around. He noticed Hermione was already dressed in school robes. Her bushy brown hair was still on her head and she seemed angry at Ron. Hermione was normal, yeah. Although his bed, where Hermione had slept last night (Harry hoped Ron hadn't accompanied her after Harry had slipped into a bizarre sleep on his couch), looked more clean than it had in ages.

"Right," she said.

Ron grumbled, "So who is gonna die?"

"Not me, I hope. Tell me, not me. Please?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat on the bed. "It's about Voldemort coming back to life."

"How can–"

Harry stood up panicked. "The Resurrection Stone. You think it can...?"

"No. I don't think it was about the Resurrection Stone..." Hermione said. "It was something like– 'When Spares are Spared, when time is turned, when unseen children murder their fathers...Then will the Dark Lord return'."

"Spares?" Harry asked.

"Why would a child murder their father?" Ron asked.

"Hello! Crouch Jr!" Hermione said, sarcastically.

"The Time Turners are all destroyed," Harry said, puzzled.

Hermione shook her head. "The Ministry is making new ones, remember?"

Ron frowned. "It's ridiculous. Why would the Ministry make such things in the first place? They know they are more than dangerous and a group of fifteen-year-olds were able to break into their security."

"They have to confirm history, Ron," Hermione reminded him gently. "Time Turners are used to see and check history. To make records. Because if we don't record it, hundreds of years from now when people will be talking about us being the Golden Trio and all, they might turn you into a girl because there was never a record that you were a guy. And if you were a girl it would change history in more ways than you can imagine."

"How would Ron being a girl change history?" Harry asked, clearly not getting anything while Ron made a face, probably imagining himself as a girl.

"Well, she wouldn't be your first friend. Girls like to find a girlfriend first rather than jump onto a boy on the first day of school. Who knows, if you hadn't made friends with Ron, you might have turned to Malfoy?" Hermione said and then continued. "Ginny wouldn't have been born. She wouldn't have found the diary. Dumbledore wouldn't have found out about the horcruxes. Voldemort would have become more influential than ever. And who knows? I might never have become your best friend because Ron didn't call me a nosy girl."

"I never said you were nosy," Ron pointed out.

Hermione nodded but she seem to be muttering something under her breath like, "Implications..." Which, Harry could see, was driving Ron up the wall.

"Okay so what do we dot?" Harry asked before they went at it again.

"Absolutely nothing." Surprisingly this came from Ron.

"So we are supposed to...?" asked Hermione, as if not believing him. "Just sit here?"

"We all know what happened when Voldemort tried to break the prophecy," Ron pointed out, earnestly. "Prophecies have a way of coming true, in one way or another. Trying to stop it will either result in some wacky circumstances or buy us time but it will come true."

"Wow," Hermione said, dubiously. "I never thought about it."

Ron rolled his eyes but grinned. "Always the tone of surprise."

Hermione smiled. "I think we should discuss this with Dumbledore first or at least his portrait."

Ron shook his head. "You know it's–"

"Will give us some assurance, wouldn't it?" Harry said as a matter of fact.

"Fine then," Ron agreed. "But if Snape talked any type of–"

"You will say something too." Hermione grinned.

"So it's settled." Harry sighed and the other two nodded.

* * *

 ** _Authors_** **Note-** _and the year 1998 ends. I hope I haven't bored you much, eh? I have just noticed that I hardly do any user interaction and well I planned to do this in this note but well...I am not really good at this huh._

 _So please read and review :) Also, tell me what do you think about the story? Any criticism? Any suggestions? Anything?_

 _Also, the users who are following this chapter to chapter. I am to inform you that I have done a major overhaul from chapter one till now. You will see some scenes removed, some deleted, some timelines changed. For ex–Nothing happened to Angelina or Draco didn't find a hate letter from Astoria (I liked that storyline really. I think I will continue it in a separate fic). For now it's the end of this year._

 _1999 is coming soon._

 _Thank you._


	15. Victoire

_**Chapter 15**_

 _ **Victoire.**_

 **January 30, 1999**

"Hermione Jean Granger. Graduated with Seven NEWT's respectively in Herbology, Defense against the dark arts, Care of Magical creatures, Potions, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Charms. Titles- Head girl and Prefect. The top scorer of Hogwarts to have seven newts in ten years." The pride on McGonagall's face was such a pleasure for Hermione that she was beaming like a loon. Not that McGonagall hadn't been been proud before.

The graduation ceremony was small, it was after all a makeshift for students like her who hadn't been able to attend classes last year. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Draco Malfoy sitting straight as a wooden stick. As if sensing her, he turned to look in her direction. Hermione waited for the usual sneer but it didn't came. Instead, she saw another girl behind Draco giving him a look for staring. He frowned but it was not directed at Hermione.

Instead, it was directed at the girl near him. He nodded in her direction and looked forward at McGonagall again. Draco hadn't attended school. Hermione guessed he had requested private lessons. If he had, she wouldn't be surprised.

Yet the thing surprised her more was that he hadn't once called her anything in the span of six hours nor sneered. Not that it was bothering her but she had always been curious. She had heard Ron talking about him once. How he had joined the department of mysteries and had seemed to ignore everyone unless professional talk. Yet he was good at his work, Kingsley had been surprised enough to talk about it once at her birthday.

Hermione shook her head and turned left to find Hannah Abott being called up. She also hadn't attended classes and yet had received five NEWT's. Neville had told Hermione that Hannah wanted to pursue healing as a profession.

Hannah and Neville were the oddest after Draco's 'not-sneer-at-anyone' attitude. Hannah had been enough of an alley and Neville had such confidence these days that she felt proud enough to voice her opinion to anyone who felt the need to say that Neville had merely brought forward Harry's army.

DA hadn't even been of fifty people. Let alone an army of Class one Auror's that Neville had trained with little guidance and notes from Lupin and Minister Shacklebolt. That would never have been possible with Harry. Harry was too much into things to keep his head over the crowd and see things while Neville had a natural gift to teach and could look over the crowd to know what to speak. Harry might be passionate but Neville was level headed under pressure. The difference did it all.

Finally, Draco Malfoy got his last NEWT's in four subjects (Arithmancy, Ancient runes, History of Magic and Potions) nonetheless. After him, Blaise Zabini also took a advanced NEWT in Transfiguration. Susan McMillan nee Bones also took four NEWT's (Occlumency- Legilimency, Care of Magical creatures, Ancient runes (Celtic), Herbology). Hermione noticed Hannah was holding Cecilia- Susan's daughter. A pang of sadness hit Hermione as she figured that Cecilia would grow fatherless as Susan hardly looked like she was over Ernie to begin her life with someone else.

Hermione shook her head and stood straight. Looking forward, she noticed the last of people to go. Marietta Edgecombe of Ravenclaw nodded at her. Cho didn't go unnoticed missing behind her. Whilst Fawcett and Clearwater passed her a smile.

"I, Minerva McGonagall, wishes you all a very fond future. You have obtained NEWT's which are the highest quality of Graduation wizarding Britain gives and a student of Hogwarts earns. The value of NEWT's is higher than any grade you will receive. We are very proud of you all that you have earned such position at such a time. Hogwarts–"

And Hermione tuned out rest of the speech as she something... Something... Someone in the trees near Hagrid's hut.

Waving...

Hermione's jaw dropped as she recognized Grawp grinning at her from afar in the shades of the trees. She could almost spell what he had written on a tattered old board.

Or maybe he hadn't and that's why she could read...

"Goodbye, Hermione..." she could make out from distance and then suddenly Grawp waved his hands. She saw Hannah from the corner of her eyes concentrating on it and it seemed Grawp had managed to get Zabini's attention too since he was gaping. Grawp waved and then pointed at her name then he pointed at his heart and then back at her name.

Susan behind her was doing all to muffle her laughter while hugging Cecelia and Zabini was nudging others.

Hermione tried not to blush as scarlet as her boyfriend's hair.

* * *

 **May 2, 99.**

"Fl-ur."

"Floor."

"No, fil-ur."

"Flo'er?"

"Fleur!" Fleur said, angrily.

Teddy laughed,"fleeeeee." He said pointing at her as if mocking. She huffed. Teddy made his hair blonde and eyes blue while smiling with two disfigured front teeth. Making him look adorable than ever. But Fleur guessed that was his way of mocking her as little horns also started sprouting from behind his blonde hair. Fleur turned her nose up. She was not giving up. Today she will give up with him, tomorrow she will give up with her daughter and what will happen then? After all, she was visiting Potter household just for this little bundle of colorful mess and the next little bundle she was going to pop out.

Her hand automatically went to her stomach as she thought of it. It was painfully big. Too big that she had trouble standing without a hand to help her up.

"Teddy! Eets Fleur!" she tried again in hopes that he would listen but suddenly Teddy frowned. His hair turned black and his frown turned into a pout and soon a sobbing mess. Fleur frantically muttered 'No's' under her breath as she tried to get up from her chair to the wailing, sobbing kid but that didn't seemed likely to happen. "Oh, oh fine! It's flee ! It's aunt flee! Not Fleur!"

But Teddy just didn't stop and before she tried once again Andromeda came running down with a bowl of cereal in hand. "What's happening here?"

"He just started crying!" Fleur said pointing at the sobbing beauty. Andromeda shook her head but carried Teddy only to detect out of thin air that he was hungry and left. Fleur had a hard time wrapping her head around the idea that someday she would know that too.

And suddenly, her water broke.

Fleur flinched in surprise. Her knuckles went white. She went slack jawed. She looked around for her wand frantically but she couldn't spot it. She tried to call for Andromeda but the blinding pain in her bladder made her quiver and she let out a ear splitting scream.

For the second time, Andromeda came running down with a wand and one look at Fleur that she had thrown the floo powder in the fireplace and sent a patronus out. The pregnancy floo (which was especially designed for pregnant women to floo to St. Mungo's if not by anything else) opened at once and Andromeda popped her head in just to check. She quickly grabbed her wand again and transfigured the chair in which Fleur was sitting into a fluffy stretcher with a astounding blow of magic and waved it near the fireplace which stretched to let Fleur in.

Andromeda thought, of course it would stretch. Hagrid visited enough to have it stretched. And soon, she ran upstairs, charmed the locks by the windows and doors while simultaneously charming the door to Teddy's room to not let him out. Andromeda jumped in a second after Fleur and as soon as Fleur came out of the floo at st. Mungo's in her floating stretcher, Andromeda did too. She hoped the stretcher had managed to hold Fleur but she was happy to see that the entrance out of the floo at St. Mungo's pregnancy ward was actually fluffy and jumpy. She saw Fleur getting handled by the staff to a room while a witch handed her a pad to fill.

Andromeda filled in as Fleur's Aunt for now and flooed back to grab Teddy and send another patronus to Harry.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was 11:50 and Victoire Weasley (decided and agreed upon two hours ago by the whole family, half the DA since it was second May and even the Hogwarts staff) refused to leave her mother's womb. For some reason, the baby refused to moved her head towards the exit so they could pull her out.

Bill thanked God that his family or the healers didn't understand french because the obscenities Fleur was muttering were not really... Nice.

"Just hold a little more!" He tried, he kept giving her encouragement but he wasn't sure she was listening between screaming and throwing tantrums. Her being a veela and then his werewolf gene's were complicating things. He hoped he hadn't passed his.

All in all, as Fleur gave a shrill cry and jerked him down with her hand, did Bill thought 'oh she is out'. Insert weird mental image.

Fleur sighed in relief and his family damn near staggered in through the supposedly discreetly opened door, if it wasn't for Ron's large limbs and Charlie's muscled body.

As soon as the baby had been slapped (which he really didn't find right) and wrapped. Bill took the baby from the nurse instantly. A look of pure joy crossed his face as he saw her. His daughter. His kin. His flesh and blood. She had freckles, tiny little two or three maybe. He was sure he was imagining them. She hadn't opened her eyes but the healer said she would, soon. Her small tuft of platinum blonde hair , Bill was sure, would distinguish her from the entire family. A tear left his eyes as he gazed at her dreamily. "Look at her, Fleur. She looks so like you...So beautiful, so much..."

"Does she?" Fleur asked, dreamily and a little tiredly.

"Oh she has blonde hair and she does looks like you...The nose...That's just like you." Bill said lovingly, walking towards her with the small bundle of nerves draped in a pink cloth in his arms.

Fleur sighed.

"Yeah, now c'mon, one more push and the other one will be out too."

"What?" Fleur jerked up in shock. Bill stopped looking at Victoire and jerked up so abruptly that the back of his neck pained him a lot. He rubbed at the twitched muscle as he asked the healer the same question.

"What do you mean 'what'? The baby needs to come out, c'mon now, push!" The healer encouraged and Fleur as a sudden impulse caught her, screamed again in the later two minutes and the healer pulled out another baby.

Fleur gave up totally and slumped on the bed. "Tell me? I am nauot havin tripletz?"

Healer gave her a weird look as Molly came in to take the crying baby from the nurse."No, mam..."

"I didn't knew we had twins..." Bill said.

"I didn't..."Fleur whimpered but then her drooping eyes went wide and her lips dropped open. "Oh no...Oh no no no."

"What?..."

"The healer had said that ze both the hear'beats were healzy and ze thought ee was talkin' about mine and Victoire's." Fleur slumped again. "Gah!...We got two. Twins..."

"Yeah, I mean...You don't mind?"

Fleur have him a piercing look,"do I look lieek I do?"

"No."

Molly coughed. Bill and Fleur flushed a little as they realized they were just fighting in front of his mother. But all Molly said was,"I don't think they are twins..."

"Huh?" Bill dumbly questioned.

Molly showed him the baby. It was a girl too but instead had red hair, not so porcelain but not so roasted. She was something in between. Though, for some reason, she was warm. Warmer than Victoire.

"Does she have a fever?" Bill asked the healer quietly.

"Oh, no..." The healer said uncertainly. "I don't think so. But we are not sure since you...And her,"he pointed at both him and Fleur. "It could be complicated."

Bill gaped.

"But, we have had cases of veela and werewolves mating before. Not to worry, dear." He added by the look on Fleur's face. "She is just warmer but no, her breathing is fine. Everything is normal. She is just naturally... Warm."

And with that the healer left the room and his bigger than a village family with additional DA, to whom anyone at the St. Mungo's refused to say no, as they are Dumbledore's army. Terry Boot was definitely seen smirking in a superior fashion but Mike had dragged him away.

"So, what are you naming her?" asked Charlie as he moved around showing off his nieces to everyone.

"Ah..."

"Dominique!", Fleur said, grinning.

Bill frowned,"we didn't decide upon it."

Fleur gave him a scathing looks she said,"you did not had them in your stomach, littering."

And he, as a wise man once did, backed off.


	16. Crafty Woman, Crafty

_**Chapter 16**_

 _ **Crafty Woman, Crafty.**_

 _ **15th June, 1999.**_

"GO!"

Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle into the air and Ginny lunged upward, grabbing it and tucking it under her arm. She felt a surge of wind on her face and finally she felt like it was her chance as she saw the scout in the stands looking up at her. The next second the Quaffle was punched out from under her arm to the hands of Randolph, the Ravenclaw Chaser.

He was fast, that man, and Ginny wondered what performance-enhancing drugs he'd injected himself with before the game. Randolph passed to another one of the Chasers, Loveletti, who Leonee guarded carefully. Ginny snuck up the center and punched the Quaffle out from under the Chaser's arm and over to Demelza.

It was 30-10, Gryffindor after a few minutes and Nathan, the Gryffindor Keeper, looked spectacular. He looked determined. McLaughlin, the Seeker, was just flying around like a nut case. Who knew if he was even looking for the Snitch? Ginny hoped he was. Ginny was tired of every other person with a 'Mc' in their surname trying to sabotage the Gryffindor team. A image of Harry ranting about Cormac Mclaggen flashed through her mind.

After being hit by a Bludger and being nearly knocked to the ground, Jason, the Gryffindor Beater, turned around his game so much he knocked Randolph off his broom. Unfortunately, Randolph recovered and sent Ginny a pompous Head-Boy-esque smirk. Ginny narrowed her eyes at him.

Ginny passed to Demelza, trying desperately to ignore the commentary through the stadium from Hufflepuff Matthew Henshaw, but at times she had no choice but hear his cheeky retorts about her throwing style. It was a perfectly fine style, thank you very much, Matthew bleeding Henshaw.

Ginny flexed the muscles in her hands and took the Quaffle back, ducking under a Ravenclaw Beater and streaking up the pitch. She passed it to Demelza, who passed it underhand back, and Ginny did a barrel-roll to avoid a well-placed Bludger. Ginny hated barrel-rolls because they made her dizzy and the crowd began to blur.

They started to chant "Weasley is our King" which actually turned into "Go Home Gryffindor" because Gryffindor's fan base was vastly outnumbered by haters. They needed to stop drinking their haterade and watch the game because Leonee did a wonderful side roll to avoid a Bludger and only a few people made the common "Oh!" sound associated with such diligent moves.

Ginny caught the Quaffle again, pulled her broom upward, and shot it past the Ravenclaw Keeper.

40-10, Gryffindor.

Things kept blurring the longer the game went on and soon all Ginny could see were her other two Chasers and the occasional stray Bludger. She heard Henshaw announce the score and it was in Gryffindor's favor.

Ginny's right arm was just burning. She couldn't help it—all of the passing and catching and motioning wore it out. Her stomach muscles also hurt from tightening them during a dive or a turn, but that was good for her. She was going to be the hot Quidditch woman with a flat stomach and one arm bigger than the other. Bollocks. At least someone might ask to eat something off her stomach after she developed that six pack.

The game was 140-70 in Gryffindor's favor. Nathan looked exhausted. Though the Gryffindor's were trying defense, Leonee wasn't at her best. Her eyes were drooping and Ginny knew she wasn't all there. She even dropped the Quaffle a couple times which was horribly unlike her.

Ginny glared expectantly at McLaughlin. He chose that moment to flip her off and Ginny wanted to punch him in the rib cage. Who did he think he was? Disrespectful maggot. McLaughlin Maggot. That had a certain charm to it.

"Time out!" Ginny cried and Madam Hooch whistled it.

"Getting scared, Weasley?" Randolph said with a laugh.

"We're up almost a hundred, sod off." Ginny floated to the ground and met her team on Gryffindor's side of the pitch. They all stared at her, confused. She took a moment to clear her throat and glance at the stands, Hermione was giving Ravenclaw her best glares. Ginny hoped people learned something from her.

"What is this about?" McLaughlin snapped.

"I need you all to take a minute of rest. Grab some water and rehydrate."

Demelza snatched some water bottles and tossed them around the team. "Good idea. I'm beat out there."

"Leonee, are you okay?" Ginny put a hand on her shoulder as she drank. "That was a hard fall."

"Yeah. It's sort of hard for me to see but don't tell Hooch or she'll send me up to Pomfrey and I won't be able to play. Body hurts too. Fuck, I want this to be over." She leaned against her broom, her tan skin soaked in sweat.

"The good news is we're up by a lot," Ginny said, turning to the rest of the team. "Nathan, you're playing fantastic."

"He let in seven!" snapped McLaughlin. Nathan wheeled around with a murderous look on his face.

"Did you see some of those saves? If it was anyone else he would have let in fourteen like the other Keeper. Don't get snarky, McLaughlin ." She stared sympathetically at Nathan. "You lot are doing fantastic. Kirke—Jason, keep up the good work. You make me proud. I'm glad I picked you."

"Time out over, Weasley. Get your team back in the air," Hooch called.

"Ready, team? Let's go win this." Ginny kicked off. Everyone went back to their positions and she noticed her entire body was covered in horrible smelling sweat. Demelza looked a bit sunburned too. She grabbed the Quaffle and passed it to Ginny and away they went back up the pitch.

"The game is back on," Henshaw, the obnoxious Hufflepuff said. "Apparently Captain Weasley wanted to have a little water break so her Chasers could have a pee or something. Honestly, this is Quidditch. There are no adverts." He let the audience chuckle (well, the Slytherins). "Now the game is back on and look who happens to have the game ball—dear Captain Weasley herself. Weasley gets the Quaffle stolen by Ravenclaw Chaser Lovelette and she moves her way back up to Keeper Nathan."

That was when Ginny got a Bludger to the arm. She heard something crack and it bloody hurt (there was an "Oh!" from the audience, about fucking time) but she kept going. She was thinking too much.

She wasn't supposed to think during Quidditch! This was where she belonged, flying up in the air with her broom after the Quaffle that happened to be in possession of male floozy, Randolph. Demelza stole it back. Ginny beamed!

"Sometimes I wonder whether or not Weasley thinks about anything other than Quidditch." Ginny added twit Hufflepuffs to the list of people who were nutters. They weren't even sly or witty enough to be Slytherins and that was saying something. "I've heard she skives off class to plan meetings and— Blimey, there they go!"

Ginny pulled out of a dive once the Quaffle was in her hand and saw McLaughlin and going toward the Gryffindor goal posts. Nathan stared down. They were pretty even considering they both had the new Firebolt and Ginny couldn't tell until the scarlet and gold side jumped up and screamed in delight.

Win.

That was all there was to it.

And then when she turned her head towards the stands and saw the scout smiling, she knew she had hit the jackpot.

* * *

Harry Potter was having a blissful day. Except that the Lestranges were still not captured, except that Trelawney had made another prophecy, except that he was a eighteen year old parent and an Auror. Yeah, it was blissful. Among all this, he was missing one person in particular, with whom he could do nothing but exchange letters because Hogwarts didn't allow visitors even if you were Harry bloody Potter and if that didn't said anything about McGonagall then nothing did. Well, he couldn't storm in, shouting, "Hey! I saved this place. I demand that you let me visit my girlfriend!" Harry could just imagine what McGonagall would do to him if he tried that. Though it would be romantic, wouldn't it?

He sighed and started sorting through his mountain of paperwork. Neville was out on another raid and Ron had taken the day off for a supposed 'brother's day' with George.

Brother's day, his arse. Ron just didn't want to do the paperwork as it was boring. Admittedly, he had asked Harry to join them but Harry had declined. Ron might not be staying on permanently as an Auror, but Harry was. Ron would be leaving soon and no one would ask him why he hadn't finished his work but one slip here and Harry would be reported to the world in writing: HARRY POTTER–THE ARROGANT HERO.

But when he thought about it, that wasn't likely to happen as Skeeter, as he was informed, was being forced to write only positive news about him. Perhaps because once the public chose a hero they didn't want to hear any shit about him.

Harry was blissfully unaware of everything around him. Ignorant, some would say, but he liked to focus on one thing at one time and that's when he heard Terry's distressed voice and stopped the quill in mid sentence, making the letter on the paper a little awry.

"You are not allowed here, miss," Terry said, bravely Harry assumed.

"Oh come off the 'miss' business, T. How many times you have looked at my arse when you thought I was oblivious and I am sure gentlemanly thoughts were not something on your mind!" a very familiar voice scoffed.

"For a lady, you are just too crass," Terry said, his voice taking a dramatic edge. "But I can't let you in. Only Aurors–"

"I can still roast your arse, kid, or have you forgotten I was second in command after Ernie and Nev?"

"Who are you calling a kid–"

And that's when the door opened with a stunned Terry falling to the ground and Ginny Weasley stepping over the bloke and looking at Harry. Her eyes were dancing, and her smile was dangerous, almost making him smile like a giddy manic when he remembered that this was an Auror office.

"Gin."

"Harry!" she gushed and ran to him so suddenly that Harry lost his balance and fell into the chair. Ginny's lips came crashing onto his. She was passionate, too passionate, so passionate that Harry could hear wolf whistles around him.

And they say Aurors are disciplined.

He finally pulled Ginny a little away and looked at her. She was grinning ear to ear, slightly flushed. Even her eyes were a little glassy.

"I got in," she whispered and when Harry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion she stood up and shouted for the whole world to hear, "I AM A HARPY, NOW!"

Harry smiled and stood up, then hugged her tightly in excitement. She had a little jump in her step as she hugged back. The Aurors around them cheered. Harry flushed and moved a little away from her before his boss barged in. He didn't want a confrontation today. "But you shouldn't—you can't come in here–"

"That's what I told her," muttered Terry while Mike was wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner at Harry behind him.

Ginny scoffed. "As if he could stop me." She then turned around to face him, her eyes glinting with mischief. "You need to find better chaperones for your Auror office. I mean I am a Quidditch player and I entered without one duel." She then wrinkled her nose and looked around. Everyone else had gone back to work. "How do you work at such a boring place?"

"It's pretty fun on the field," Harry muttered, absentmindedly, as his eyes wandered over her skimpy black shirt which was tucked in her light blue jeans. A black cloak was draped around her shoulders and her black sandals made her toes look more risqué than anything else about her.

"Sure, it is." She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, you are taking a break. We are going for a dinner date. I am taking you."

Harry frowned. "Can't. Lots of work and it's not an emergency. Not allowed."

"Harry," she gasped, dramatically. "You are Harry freakin Potter!"

Harry looked around and saw Elektra smirking at him while Lisa leaned in, jutting an eyebrow out in appreciation. "So?"

"So you can take a break." Ginny blew a stray strand of hair off her face. "Honestly, I think I am imperiused. How did I fall for an eighteen year old uncle?" She huffed.

Harry sharply turned his head towards her. "Who are you calling an uncle–"  
She smirked. She Cheshire smirked like a Cheshire cat and tugged at his black tie–Auror uniform. She pulled him forward by it, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She opened her lush mouth. "Then prove it." A wink and she turned around, leaving him speechless. "I will wait outside Percy's office."

Harry stood there, flushed, looking like a fish out of water for a minute, trapped in his thoughts, Ginny on his mind and then he suddenly jolted out of it. He looked at Ginny's retreating form, her waist and her hips dancing in a happy rhythm, making his throat so dry, it itched. He gulped and looked around to find everyone's eyes on him. Harry hurriedly packed his things and left to demand a holiday.

* * *

The club wasn't hard to find, though Ginny thought it would be easy to miss during the daylight hours when business was slow. It was down an alley, illuminated by lit lanterns – a novelty for their Muggle clientele but passe for a group of Hogwarts students. It was the line of people, most of them clad in black and some sporting dyed green mohawks, that really drew their attention. Ginny tugged self-consciously at her shirt as she realized that this was not a crowd with which she could seamlessly blend. Harry had insisted on going to a Muggle club as wizarding clubs were totally out for them. They could go home and have a dinner with Andromeda and Teddy but that wasn't what Ginny had in mind.

She wanted to go wild today. Let him have fun and then drop the bomb. She was regretting it but she didn't had a choice. Holyhead Harpies was her dream and Harry was the only significant snag. Granted, it had started as a silly childhood crush but it turned out to be much more than that and now that she was at a crossroads, with a choice between him or her career. She didn't want to be that girl who threw everything away for a guy.

It wasn't like she was leaving him. No. She just wanted to pay attention to her career now and she had already signed up. There was no going back. Sighing, she looked at Harry. He looked the same at eighteen. He still had glasses on, and he had not grown into the body of a man yet but he was showing enough potential in that white shirt of his Auror uniform. He was just a tiny bit taller than her, and they looked perfect walking to their destination. It was Harry's idea to take some time talking and of course she had obliged.

Harry suddenly gave her a sidelong glance and smiled. "You are staring."

Ginny might have given a heartfelt reply but she would have to be drunk to get all emotional and so she settled on a cheeky wink. "Well, you are one pretty thing to look at."

"Pretty?" Harry scoffed, with a laugh.

Ginny hooked her arm through his and gushed, "Oh, Harry!" She started dramatically like those fangirls that surrounded him these days. "You look so hot you could just burn the streets with your hotness!"

Harry's cheeks turned a little red as he laughed and Ginny joined him. Soon they were a laughing mess, talking about things from their birth to now. How the had scout been so impressed that he just sent a direct letter for their reserve team and how Kingsley had been so impressed that he was letting Harry work not under but over people. They were in a dance of sorts, moving around without a care for the world when they had so many stories to share after so much time.

Soon they reached the bar they had been looking for and entered. Ginny felt a little out of place. She'd expected to have time to change before she had actually dragged Harry to a club but then thought better of it as her mother would probably cover her to toe before letting her out on a date. Now, looking at the teenagers around her dressed in skimpy dresses, heels and glitter all around she understood that this wasn't a crowd she would reasonably blend into. Harry had already removed his tie and undone the top two buttons of his white shirt, which made him blendy enough.

Harry waved for the bartender and ordered a whiskey sour and asked her to order. "Oh, I would like a shot of firewhisky. "

Harry's eyes went wide and she remembered she was in a Muggle club.

The bartender frowned a bit before saying, "We don't really serve that. But, I'll tell you what, how about a Green Dragon instead?"

"I don't know what that is," Ginny grinned as she saw Harry's subtle shake of head, "But it sounds wicked," she finished eagerly.

Smirking, the bartender left to prep their drinks. Harry seized upon the chance to scold her for her irresponsibility.

"You can't take stupid risks like that," he whispered.

"Relax. I ordered a drink. No Muggle's going to hear and make the mental leap that we must be wizards or witches," Ginny said reasonably. "Besides, why do you think I am dating you?"

"Why?"

"Because you are an Auror and you will help me if I do anything stupid, duh!" she scoffed. "Everyone needs to be reckless once. Chill out."

"I have a feeling that if you get reckless and drunk today you'll shout from the tabletops who you are."

"Probably." Ginny nodded. "But I am a war martyr and definitely a selfish one. The Ministry can and should handle this for me."

"Crafty, woman," Harry said, smirking slightly. "Crafty."

"Besides, we got a cool drink out of it," Ginny said, gesturing to the acid-green shot that the bartender set before them. "I've never seen a dragon that color. It should be a bit richer, more emerald. That or change the name," she said skeptically after a bit of concentration.

The bartender seemed to like them as he just laughed and said, "Just watch, lady."

He produced a lighter and proceeded to light their drinks on fire. The air heated as a solid but contained flame danced upon the surface of their shots. Ginny's dimly lit face showed nothing but wonder as the flame burned out before them.

"Blow to cool it off, then drink," the bartender advised as he'd rightly pegged her as new to Green Dragon. Honestly, with the way Ginny was ogling her shot, Harry wouldn't be surprised if the bartender thought this was her first drink in general.

Harry watched her as she worked around the liquid. Judging from the look of unrestrained disgust on her face, the Green Dragon looked better than it tasted. Her lips pursed like  
she'd eaten a lemon whole as she set the glass back on the bar. Though she hid it somewhat better.

Wiping her lips, Ginny said, "That was wicked!"

Harry let his head drop wearily onto the worn wood of the bar in exasperation. She'd clearly hated it, and yet the naughty joy of playing with fire trumped the suffering of her taste buds. Girls and fire were a mystery he would never understand.

"Soo..." Ginny said, rubbing her hands together. "What do you think? What's his story?" Her hot breath ghosted along Harry's ear.

"Excuse me?" he said.

"That guy," Ginny said, pointing to a man standing alone and swaying back-and-forth to a beat that didn't match the music. "How do you think he became that guy?"

Harry really looked at the man. He was decorated with tattoos that wound their way up his neck and had a mohawk type hairstyle that Harry had once seen in cartoons. In contrast to most of the tattoo-bedecked punk enthusiasts Harry had seen he was skinny. It was like his skin sat directly atop his bird-like bones, with no muscles to separate the two, and he had a set of elbows that looked sharp enough to cut through a wooden plank.

"I'd guess he is a guy who feels that everyone hates him and this is him rebelling here with all that art and possibly without food," Harry said thoughtfully.

Ginny looked at him askance."That's not how you're supposed to play."

"I answered your question," Harry argued.

"You depressed me is what you did. This game isn't about psychobabble, it's about…" Ginny scanned the room. "Here, watch me."

She pointed to a group near the stage. Two men and two woman. One woman was a brunette dressed in a pretty hot pink dress and the other was blonde with a pixie cut and a obscene leather vest. One of the guys looked like Harry's neighbor at Godric's Hollow, with a light beard and twinkling eyes. He leaned forward and joked with the brown haired women, winking at the other man who looked to be blushing and shaking his head behind the girl at him. He was clean shaven and looked every bit of the good boy his mother must have raised him to be. The tough looking blonde woman seemed oblivious to this, focusing on the music.

"So, I think the white shirt introduced his fiery girlfriend to his handsome stud friend," Ginny said lowly in his ear.

"Stud?"

"Work with me just a little, Harry," Ginny scolded. "So, as I was saying, Barry–the white shirt–introduced them because he assumed a fine male specimen like Edward would never go for her. He'd prefer the tough blondes like Clarissa."

Harry nearly spit out her drink when she named the tough-looking woman – really, she looked like she was every bit as capable of strangling him with her bare hands – a name that grannyish didn't suit her. After he managed to safely swallow, he laughed.

"Now, Edward was very grateful for the introduction, but lately he's started to wonder about Clemence–the brunette. See how he keeps winking at her? Hard and blonde is all well and good, but lately he can't stop thinking about soft and brunette. Plus, he has a connection with the brunette. They listen to the same music, and drink the same beer brand, and vote the same party," Ginny said.

Harry laughed.

"I have unparalleled senses when it comes to picking out sexual tension. Trust me," Ginny bragged.

"Full of shite," Harry sang back.

"Fine. You give it a try," Ginny dared.

He scanned the room for a good target. Eventually, he spotted another group – this time two men and one woman. The woman sat in between the two men, both of whom casually hung their arms around her shoulders.

"Well, Mary, Michael, and…Fredrick have been –"  
"Mary, Michael, and Fredrick? Those are the names you're going with?" Ginny demanded, managing to sound mildly offended at his lackluster naming choices.

"What? Would you prefer Shiela, Viktor, and Damien?" Harry scoffed.

"Yes!"

"Fine!" Harry relented though he made sure to groan loudly so that she knew he wasn't happy about it. "Shiela, Viktor, and Damien have been friends since primary school. I mean, look at how comfortable they look with each other. It takes years to build up that kind of trust. There have never been any romantic complications between them either. They're just best mates who occasionally go to see a show together where they catch up on each other's lives and reminisce about their sandbox days."

"They're fucking," Ginny said definitively. Definitively and crudely.

"Ginny!"

"Come on, Harry. There's no way there are no romantic entanglements between those three. Perfect sexual tension radar, remember?" Ginny argued.

They both looked back at the unsuspecting patrons. There certainly weren't any signs of a sexual relationship. They were just sitting after all. How did Ginny draw sex from sitting? Harry was rather certain she was just being contrary. Had he said they were dating, she would have argued that they'd never viewed each other that way for even a second.

"You're wrong," Harry said stubbornly.

"I am always right," Ginny bragged and Harry wisely nodded. It was pointless to argue as it would simultaneously make her more stubborn and bring the date to an end.

"Right," Harry said, ruffling her hair slightly as she grinned. As the night went on Harry and Ginny found themselves enjoying themselves. With Ginny dancing wildly around and Harry trying to drag her back to the bar and then her pulling him back for a dance, the night went on.

* * *

 **Beta: StopTalkingAtMe**

 **Author's Note-** Especially for the guest who keeps requesting Hinny. Hope you are satisfied, now that I have digged into this much romance. ;)


	17. Long Time?

_**Chapter 17**_

 _ **Long time?**_

 _ **16th June.**_

Ginny woke up half naked, grumpy and not in her own dormitory. It gave her a little shock at first but then she remembered she was at Harry's. Last night, after getting trashed at the club they had decided to apparate back to his house. Andromeda of course was disapproving of them sleeping together but then maybe she remembered her own daughter and sighed then let them be after taking Teddy to his room.

They were of course not sleeping together. Harry wasn't drunk enough for that. Honestly, Ginny felt like she was intruding his privacy or something but isn't sex what these guys wanted? She raised her eyebrows at the thought and looked at the empty side of her bed and heard the soft humming of water coming from the bathroom. He was one weird bloke. Who woke this early in the morning after a hangover. Huh.

Ginny sat up and her hand went for her hair out of habit. It had gone rough and dry, probably mussed all over. She straightened her top and shorts and wondered how she had managed to drag Harry–who, by the way, was naturally afraid of intimacy for some weird reason–to bed. _Must have been something that Tequila he drank._ Now Ginny had nothing but staring at the door left to do.

How will she tell him?

And with that, her mind launched thousands of questions, she was lost in her thoughts.

 _"Weasley , welcome to the Holyhead Harpies," Gwenog said and everyone clapped. "We're a club filled with prestige, talent, and Cups." That was Ginny's favorite part. The Cups. "We plan on continuing our streak of greatness in the League, which means nothing you do better fuck it up."_

Great.

"There are some set rules the members of this team follow."

This was starting to sound not good.

"A Code, if you will."

No. No. No. No.

There was absolutely no way.

Gwenog cleared her throat again, perhaps sensing Ginny's absolute terror at the idea of following a Code.

"Do not, under any circumstances, end up in a gossip magazine for something negative," Gwenog said in her booming, authoritative voice.

With Skeeter on her arse, Ginny wasn't sure how she would avoid that one.

"Do not represent the team in a poor light," she said. "That means do not make a mess of yourself in public or use vulgar language."

"On the night before a game, your curfew is seven," Gwenog said, eyeing Griffiths for a minute before looking back at Ginny. "That is strictly enforced. The last thing we need is a tired player on the pitch. That's how injuries happen, Weasley."

"The only exception to that is the tournament in a few weeks," she added. Gwenog adjusted her position in the chair and a few of the others laughed.

That wasn't so bad. Ginny had a couple of those rules in Gryffindor. She'd have to work on representing the team part, but they were manageable.

"Lastly," added Gwenog, her face turning serious. "That leaves the most important rule."

Ginny blinked, heart rate picking up just a touch. Like before she kicked off on the pitch. Avery snickered.

"You are not to date a member of an opposing team, any celebrity that is likely to drag you to press," she concluded. "This means the actual team, the reserve squad, and the first farm team." as she was staring right at Ginny. "No exceptions."

Oh, good.

No exceptions.

Fuck.

 _"Lastly, you will join the Reserve team this year and maybe, if you survive, this team next year."_

Ginny came out of her day dream as she noticed someone flicking their fingers in front of her. It was Harry, she noticed, grinning at her in a unbuttoned white shirt and trousers. He kissed her forehead and moved away. "You should take more days off."

"Harry..."Ginny didn't knew what she sounded like. On one side, she was giddy with happiness. On another, she was sore because of the rule. She could hear the smile in his voice. Now wasn't that a weird thought? Hearing the smile on his face.

"Yeah?"He asked cluelessly and started to drape his tie precisely around his neck.

"There is something...I think we need to talk about,"she bit her lip.

"Oh, yeah sure. Anything important?" Harry's voice had turned a ghostly quiet and Ginny wondered if he already knew. But how could he?

Aurors didn't spied on quidditch players...Or did they?

"Yeah... Could you come here?" and he, after tucking his shirt in came to sit beside her. She took his hands in hers and wondered how it starts. "Look, I am...I have signed up with the Harpies...And you are a great person, Harry." He suddenly went stiff and Ginny looked up from his hand to find the green of his eyes zeroed on her, his pupils dilating.

"I am not...We are not breaking up!" Ginny practically yelled as she saw what he was assuming. He nodded. "With the contract with the Harpies...comes a rule."

He arched a eyebrow and Ginny almost told him to keep the attitude down,"I am not allowed to date anyone who is on the other team or is likely to drag me to papers."

She finished slowly, as if telling a child. Harry furrowed his eyebrows for a second and then gave the silly old "oh" reply.

Ginny jumped him. She somehow managed to pin him down and sat on his chest. "What I am saying is we are going to de announce this relationship, publicly. Not in here. Not at home."

Harry swallowed. He was doing that thing again. He was bottling up things. "So...We are not allowed to date?"

"Yeah..."

"And we will pretend to not know each other..."

"Yeah..."

"But we can cuddle and fuck." Ginny winced. Harry wasn't the one to use crude language in hardly any case.

"No...We can date–"

"In the confines of this house."

Ginny nodded. Harry looked sideways for a moment and then at her.

"Why...Why not just put it on a hold...?"

Ginny was blank for a minute. A break? After six months, two years, a Bloody war? He wanted a break. Suddenly her Weasley temper made appearance and she grabbed his collar. "Who is that Bitch?"

"What...?"

Ginny kicked off him and went to find her dress. Her brain pressing on her head to get out once and for all.

"Gin–"

"Don't Gin me, Potter." She muttered dangerously.

"But, what do you...?" He was following her around as she looked for her jeans.

"I. Right. I. I am the silly little girl whom Harry Potter needed during the war and so he kissed her and left her without telling her anything." She knew she was talking nonsense, a part of her asked her to stop, but then her hot head got in the way. "Silly little Ginny. Let's give her a chance. We can just leave her anytime—what would she do? She will pick herself up someday! Let's just have fun for now. But when it comes to her problems...They are not yours to deal with! Let's breakup! Yes, potter! Breaking up, we are, in written if you want."

As she was buttoning her shirt's last button, Harry whirled her around by the elbow. "Right! Who Bloody cares that I spent half my life trying to defeat a bloody wizard so you wouldn't get killed." He snarled, his grip on her elbow tightened, his nails dug in. "That I exchanged owls and remained with you when you were too busy to come and celebrate a day with me!And when you finally do! It's for your Bloody closure! I haven't found anybody for your information! But I also don't think there will be a short queue for me." His voice turned into a harsh whisper as she glared. "Who have you found, huh? It wasn't like you were in the front lines! It wasn't like I was there for half the year. Stop this!" He breathed heavily, dangerously close to losing it.

"But why can't you understand! It's my bloody career!"

"I am understanding and that's why I am saying we should take a break."

"But I don't want to be with anyone!"

"So do I! But I can't pretend. I don't pretend. I do not know how to pretend."

"You are so infuriating!"

"Right, and you are the angel!"

"Fine then. You can go to hell!" and with that Ginny pushed her heel into his shoe and left slamming the door behind her.

Wanker.

Dragon dung.

Boy who is a dick.

* * *

 _ **17 June.**_

"Aaaaaaaaaaa!" Hermione screamed. Ron howled in laughter. Hermione tried to stop him. He went faster. Hermione tried to push his hands away but he gripped her tighter.

No, they weren't in bed. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Hermione screamed as he turned her round and round in her wheelchair. Apparently, this was funny to him.

"C'mon, Mione. Stop screaming and enjoy!" he said and went for another round.

Hermione dug her nails in his hands. "If you don't stop, Ron..."

"Or what? You are going to hit me with your house elf legislation?" he laughed and finally stopped.

Hermione breathed and stood up immediately only to sit back again as her head was jolting. Ron laughingly poured her a cup of water. She rubbed her forehead in pain. "What were you here for again?"

"What? You forgot?" Ron dramatically gasped.

"I daresay, I did." She narrowed her eyes.

"How could you..."

"Ronald."

"I came here to meet you of course."

Hermione rolled her eyes,"we meet everyday... Remember? You live near my  
apartment."

Ron frowned. "That's not the same, we never meet at work."

"And what's different?"

"Well..."he grinned evilly. "There are no spinning chairs at home."

Despite trying very hard to make a face, Hermione laughed. She had been recently shifted to an office in the course of just six months. She had been happy until she found out she had been given this position just because Harry, in some interview, had slipped that she was the brightest of her age. Thus, rendering her near celebrity. Her boss was a giddy person and had just promoted her. She hadn't even had more than one proper assignment during her six month as a employee.

She had backed out but then Ron had come. He had been reasonable. That she had power, that even if it wasn't earned he knew very well she could earn it maybe in a year or two and giving up this position would make her nothing but an arrogant muggleborn who didn't listened to anyone unless another muggleborn.

Even McGonagall had agreed.

And then, here she was, in a spinning chair with her taller than McGonagall (he had sprouted to 6'4) boyfriend, spinning.

The wheel of life must keep spinning.

That was a pun.

Okay, sorry.

"Ronald."

"'Mione."

She frowned. He grinned.

"Okay!" he said, surrendering his hands up. "Harry was wondering what to do with Kreacher."

"Kreacher?"

"Yeah, he has all that war info...Inside information. Harry is not really a fan of him...The git still mutters things under his breath...And we can't find a Hermione solution."

She wrinkled her nose at the mention. From past days, Ron had started replacing 'rightful' with 'Hermione' saying they meant the same anyway. She had started swearing on his name.

"I will see to it... Could you ask Harry to let me visit Kreacher sometime today?"

"Are you–?" Ron smiled grimly.

Hermione reassured him with a nod and he nodded back. Ron smiled back.

And the silence turned awkward.

Hermione was pleased. They were going steady in their relationship and slowly. Granted they had started as a teenage couple, war lovers and all that but they had been ordinary. Ron was what a boyfriend was; yet more romantic than she had seen. She had been more dynamic and less perceptive. She still had to sort out herself, her own emotional self. Ron understood sometimes and sometimes it was hard to deal with her but they had managed by far and Hermione considered it a milestone.

She motioned for him to sit and poured him a glass of coffee while simultaneously questioning,"how's work?" She knew the only success they had this far was Azkaban. Now the only thing that was to be done was catch them. They had no power right now and Harry was sure they had lessened them to at least half but they could never say for sure.

"We got Grimmauld back but the place stinks even more than Walburga Black's saggy old blouse."

"You weren't–"

"No, I wasn't smelling them. My God Mione, it was a metaphor."

"I know."

She giggled. He shook his head.

"I have got to babysit Dominique this evening. I am thinking of taking her to Potter Manor, you know, Teddy will keep her good company."

"And Andromeda will do half your work."

"Precisely. How is the house elves legislation going?"

Hermione frowned,"your department is taking a lot of time to pass a simple law and there are so many questions...My own lawyer isn't really interested in house elves? You know. He just likes to tell people he is working for me...One against so many isn't helping..."

"How about you ask Harry to speak over it? I have a interview lined up with witch weekly. . . I can talk about it there and oh! Luna!" Ron grinned suddenly, straightening up in his chair.

"Luna?" Hermione's brow furrowed.

"Luna is working with Newt, isn't she? And house elves are magical creatures. She can vouch for them too. Coming from a expert, people might hear her and oh, she is a pureblood ," Hermione opened her mouth to object but Ron cut her off. "You can't ban those gits, you know? They are everywhere and well, you yourself said, healing takes time. Let's put them on the leash, slowly, shall we?"

Hermione rubbed the bridge of her nose."That's actually nice you know. Nicer than what I was thinking."

"What were you thinking?"

"I was going to pass a outright law to demolish Purebloods, muggleborns, half bloods. Status and all."

Ron raised a eyebrow,"it won't work. Freedom of speech and all that. You can only ban it legally."

"I know. That's why I didn't pass it. Now get your head back in your department, will you? I have work to do."

"Yeah, you have got all those house elves who will call you all the foul things in the world while you provide them shelter. I am sure you have work, Hermione."

A flying quill pecks Ron's head from behind as he walks out of her office.

* * *

Molly moved around the house while trying very hard to be patience. While Victoire cried like she was never going to do it again. Her shrill cries were so high pitched that Molly was sure her eardrums were gone. It was new for her to hear this after such long time.

Bill and Fleur had finally taken a holiday to France and had been coerced by Molly to leave Victoire and Dominique with her. They had hardly done anything except puking and then wiping the puke from a year and she had taken on herself to give her son a break from those peaky goblins and more puking.

Molly paced around delicately while simultaneously thumping Victoire on the back. She had just had her meal and now she was crying...For what even Molly didn't knew. Molly kept pacing when she heard the front door open and Victoire cries; now not so noisy gave her relief.

She was sure it was none other than Arthur and so she went out to tell him to not to speak loudly.

Only, as she moved out of the living room, and opened her mouth. She found herself on the end of someone's wand tip.

"Hullo, Molly. Long time?"

* * *

 _I have to have a chapter for Victoire, don't I?_


	18. and shall i declare you?

_**Chapter 18.**_

 _ **And shall I declare you?**_

Molly watched open mouthed as George smiled at her with his wand on her head,"honestly, why do you look so surprised? You remember me don't you? Hey, I didn't die, it was Fred–"

And Molly nearly burst into tears. Her face crumpled into a frown. George seethed and removed the wand from his mother's head and hugged her lightly; craning her head toward his shoulder. "Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother? I should be crying not you. You are mother. Oh look, Victoire is looking at you!" He points out as Molly hugs him tightly with one hand. George rubs his mother's head with one hand and caresses Victoire with another. "Granny isn't usually childish–really-she just likes to scare her children sometimes. You know, since we are so used to shouting?" He looks questioningly at Molly who was now wiping her face; regaining herself in a breath.

"How are you...? "Molly asked, her voice hoarse. Then, she clears her throat, her voice growing louder and louder as each syllable slipped out of her mouth " I mean, how did you decided to visit? I thought we aren't as good as Angelina as a supporting shoulder!"

"You did not just compared yourself to my store assistant," George said, agitated, while removing his coat as Molly moved forward towards the kitchen.

"We all know she is not the store assistant. That's Verity."  
"Oh, so you do pay attention to our shop? How delighted I am!"

Molly glared. George safely took Victoire from her hands with the milk bottle, Molly had just prepared. She wouldn't really hit him with Victoire in hands?..."And also, I can visit my parents any day. Not like you can stop me. Now, I am really hungry. What's for dinner?"

Molly frowned at him and turned towards the stove with a smile, "anything you like."

George did not look up from Victoire,"then mummy should know what George likes, shouldn't she, Vic?"

And in all this, no one noticed Victoire pulling on George's two whole ears.

* * *

"So..."

"So."

"You know there is something wrong with you when you breakup even before Ron..."

"Hey!" Ron protested. Hermione gave him a look. Harry sighed while Hannah snickered at Seamus' comments and passed a glass full of wine to Harry.

"But that's her career! Why don't you understand?" Hermione's lips thinned in a frown.

"But it's stupid...I mean it's not really dating... And why does she have to hide...it's a stupid rule," Harry groaned while speaking on the matter.

Ron hastily took a swig from the glass of Butterbeer in front of him. Sitting at the Leaky cauldron for a brief break for lunch from the ministry, they had managed to floo at Hannah's after Neville suggested that the journalists from the prophet usually kept out from there. Mostly due to Neville, he had once thrown a reporter out because he had nearly mailed a piece of explicit information of Neville's family to the prophet. And well mostly because Hannah had no qualms about hexing anyone who disturbed the private life here. Not like anyone minded.

"Well it's that or she leaves Harpies. Don't you think she talked to Gwengog about it already? The woman won't budge," Hermione stated, clearly pitying him and his relationships.

Harry looked at his glass of wine and then drowned it in one gulp,"not like we can do anything about it."

Seamus looked at Hannah questioningly as the trio drowned in misery. None of them spoke for a minute. Seamus, having enough, finally spoke up.

"Did you heard about the Malfoy's?"

And it was enough for Hermione to pick on it, she forwarded the conversation,"what about them?"

"Apparently, Draco is betrothed," Hannah rolled her eyes.

"Betrothed...?" Harry tilted his head, confusion written over his face.

"Oh it means-"

"I know, Hermione. I am asking, what is this? Betrothed...? Are we living in the medieval ages or something?" Harry frowned.

"It's usually how it goes with those thirty families. The youngest even can use the 'Lord' and 'lady' title after a certain age. Bethroel and arrange marriages are really common." Ron confirmed.

"My family always hated it though I did had a Rosier Grandma and a distant cousin who was a zabini," Hannah commented.

"Who is he betrothed to?" Ron asked, hesitantly.

"Astoria Greengrass, really shady those Greengrasses," Seamus thinned his lips in disapproval. "They were not here nor there during the war. And I think we all know Daphne."

Hermione frowned, "but isn't she two years younger than Draco?"

"Do you really think they care?"

Hermione looked affronted by Ron's comment,"I guess not."

* * *

If anyone said that Harpies were tough, they are probably speaking the truth. It hadn't been one week and Ginny had already been to hospital twice. Once, because a bludger had hit her square in the face and the other because she had knocked herself out with a beater bat.

Ginny desperately wondered if she will ever get out of reserve if she kept doing this.  
She walked towards the locker, barrelled all over with Quaffles. Her body felt numb and her feet hurt either excessive running. She immediately bogged down one of the shower stalls and got in.

Was it worth leaving Harry for this?

* * *

August _**14,99.**_

"Did you know, that in olden days, people married naked?" George asked, sprawled on Percy's bed. Dressed in a dark green tuxedo, he looked ravishing.

"Really? " Ron's tone was full of wonder, sharing the same color of George's tuxedo, just a bit more compromised with black instead of Emerald that George had infused in his. Probably to annoy Percy.

"Yeah, and alone. No one needed to come." Percy gave George a look, knowing well where this was going, while Harry helped him with his white bow tie.

"But that was the best part wasn't it? No idiots dressed in emerald just to stand behind the guy who gets all the fun or is going to get all the fun by night."

"Tell him to shut up, Bill."

"Shut up, George." Bill said clearly not paying attention as Teddy tried to tell him something.

"Vich, vite ve!"

"Who what who?

"Vich!"

"Teddy..."

Teddy huffed and looked at Harry. "Hally! Vich, vite ve!"

"Yeah? " Harry asked, distracted by a knot. Should it go right or left?

"He is trying to say something, Harry."

"He is saying that Vic bit him," Harry replied. "Where did she bit? Though she doesn't really have teeth..."

Teddy huffed and pointed at his nose. Dressed in a little makeshift black tuxedo, it was wonder he was not being cooed on.

Bill smiled, "she hurt you there? Aw, we will tell Victoire to not do it again."

"Although, Teddy might wanna consider it in dear future," Ron smirked devilishly.

Bill frowned disapprovingly,"I hope not."

"Shee appy vite!" Teddy threw his hands in the air. The evidence of a tantrum coming, Harry recognized.

"No, she wasn't happy biting. Teddy, do you want candy?" Harry asked and hissed at Ron to get it.

And the next second, Charlie stepped into the room, out of breath. "They are crying!" He burst out, horrified. He then picked up Teddy from Bill. "Oh god, Teddy. I love your mother. She didn't cried at her wedding, you know? I love her. God, they are awful!" Charlie whispered, near to tears himself.

And everyone burst out laughing.

"Oh, I hate you all."

* * *

"And therefore, I shall declare you Husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

And Percy did, while the rest of the crowd roared in applause. Ron nodded at Hermione in the crowd, who was positively glowing. Tears shining in her eyes, she nodded back.

Angelina ran outside as her throat closed and she slipped off to find the nearest toilet  
for her sickness. George saw this and slipped off the stage, unnoticed by everyone, except one.

One hardly noticed, Bill looking tense as he saw Dominique smile at raw meat on the table. Or Fleur, trying to hide Victoire's back.

Andromeda cried like crazy as she remembered how she had refused to attend her own daughter's wedding out of spite. Teddy did not understand why he felt dizzy as he looked at Victoire.

No one noticed, Ginny and Harry sneaking back into the burrow.


End file.
